Guest Blogger, Ashley, from Lily Whites Party Cakes:
I was so excited when Shannon asked me to write a guest post for her awesome new blog because really--I love sweets! Talking about them, making them, and eating them! Chocolate, ice cream, cookies, you name it – if it’s sweet – I want to try it! So when my husband’s grandmother, who will be 94 years young this year, offered me a Rolo pretzel cookie for the first time, I just had to learn how to make them. I was surprised to find out how easy they were! Flash forward 12 years and these simple and fast cookies are still a favorite at our family parties! By using these 3 simple ingredients and just a few minutes, you can have your friends and family thinking you spent hours in the kitchen! And with Valentine’s Day coming up, these would make a great treat for your sweetheart, family, or the perfect sweet treat for Valentine Gifts for kiddos.
What you’ll need (you will use one of each item per candy):
- Small Pretzels
- Rolo Chewy Caramels
- Pecan Halves
- Cookie Sheet lined with wax or parchment paper
Direction:
1.Set oven to Warm temperature – you don’t want to melt the Rolos, just soften them.
2.Place pretzels on lined sheet pan, top with one unwrapped Rolo in the center of each pretzel.
(Time saving tip: get the sleeves of Rolos in the candy aisle, which are already unwrapped instead of the bags, which come individually wrapped in tin foil. This will save you quite a bit of time).
3. Set the sheet pan in oven and set the timer for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, leave pan in the oven, but test the doneness of one cookie by taking a pecan half and pressing it down into the center of the Rolo. If it pushes down easily, they are done. If you have to put some force into it, leave in the oven for another 1-2 minutes, checking once or twice.
4. Once one is ready, pull the entire sheet pan out of the oven and quickly top each one with a pecan half, pressing down into the Rolo.
5. Let the cookies firm back up by setting in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes.
You can leave these as is, or kick it up a notch by adding some pink and red chocolate drizzles, pink sugar sprinkles, or both for Valentine’s Day!
Drizzling Tip: I like to use pre-colored Wilton Candy Melts and disposable decorating bags. Melt your chocolate on medium heat in the microwave for about 1 minute 30 seconds, checking every 30 seconds. You don’t want it too hot or it will burn the chocolate. Cut a small hole in the tip and test the thickness of your “drizzle” on a piece of parchment paper. Giving medium pressure when squeezing the bag, I like to do a zig zag drizzle over my treats and “over drizzle” – so once the chocolate has set - when you pick it up off the paper, the chocolate pieces hanging over will break off and leave you with a professional looking dessert!
And that’s it folks! It’s that easy! I hope you find yourself inspired to try out these sweet treats for your loved ones and have them thinking you’re a pro in the kitchen!
This is a guest blog post written by Ashley Kaiser, owner of Lily White’s Party Cakes, a preferred cake decorating company in Tempe, Arizona. Ashley has created hundreds of elegant and one of kind wedding and special event cakes and dessert tables. More information can be found on her website or her Facebook Page.