I love to give baskets of cookies to my family and friends for Christmas. I don’t know where this comes from because no one in my family are bakers, really. In fact, my mother thinks I’m crazy every year and always gives me that sigh and says, “Why are you going to all this trouble…No one needs cookies…Fine, if you insist just use the slice and bake at the store.” This just doesn’t fly with me and this year I made tripple the amount of cookies just out of spite. Stop freaking out mom. You didn’t hurt my feelings thats just how it is…I still love you!

In my frenzy of cookie making I thought I needed just one more touch of something but didn’t have the time to make any more as Mia was pulling at my jeans and I could no longer entertain her with drumming on pots and pans. It was then that I was inspired by a recent cookie tray I got from Ashley C. You might know her, she stops by the blog from time to time. She brought over a yummy tray of melted fudge and chocolate covered pretzel sticks. Got to love her she tries. She says she can’t cook but she can make a mean salsa and pot roast.

Anyway, I ran to the pantry, grabbed what I could and made some quick and delicious pretzel sticks to complete my Christmas cookie bags. Simple and quick, if you are running out of time here’s a little idea for a quick Christmas treat.

Chocolate Covered Pretzel Rods makes 20

• 20 large pretzel rods
• 1 cup dark chocolate morsels
• 3/4 cup of your favorite salted nuts and dried fruits*

*pistachios and dried cranberries, slivered almonds, dried apricots and cashews are just a few ideas. And of course there is always bacon!

1. On a cutting board chop the selected nuts and fruits into small pieces. Spread evenly on a plate.
2. Place the chocolate in a microwave safe dish and place in microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and return to microwave for another 30 seconds. Stir and repeat until chocolate is melted.
3. Dip a pretzel rod into the chocolate, spooning chocolate over the rod and leaving a couple of inches free of chocolate at the end. Suspend the pretzel over the bowl letting the  excess chocolate drip off the rod.
4. Roll the chocolate covered pretzel in the chopped nuts and fruit to evenly coat.
5. Lay on a cookie sheet covered with wax or parchment paper and let dry for 30 minutes.

A quick and simple idea that you can make your own. This Christmas as with every year I made thumbprint cookies with homemade jam form this year’s plum and peach harvest from the orchard at the ranch and these amazing, OMG, amazing Walnut Snowball Cookies (although in TX we call them Mexican Wedding Cookies) from SimplyRecipes.com. This is by far the best recipe of these cookies I have ever made! And in about 30 minutes after my butter has come to room temperature I am making these because if I don’t my father-in-law said he would disown me. The first cookie recipe I have ever created and to this day I have yet to see it anywhere else. It’s also the cheesiest post I have ever written. So, sorry about that.