If you want to make a tasty and colorful treat perfect for fall, check out this pretzel rod Indian corn recipe. They are very easy to make and would be perfect to use as a Thanksgiving table decoration or as a special harvest time treat.
I think the adorable mason jar turkey I made is the perfect container for these treats, don’t you? You can easily make your own by following along with this tutorial: How to Make a Mason Jar Turkey.
Now, gather together the items on this list and get cooking!
Ingredients Needed for Pretzel Rod Indian Corn:
- 12 ounce package candy melts
- 12 pretzel rods
- 10 ounce package of mini Reese’s Pieces
- 6 natural colored coffee filters
- Raffia
Supplies Needed for Pretzel Rod Indian Corn:
- Coffee cup or small bowl
- Cutting board
- Spoon
- Pinking shears
- Scissors
- Pint size mason jars or small glass
I suggest setting up everything on your kitchen counter before you being — open the bag of pretzel rods. Pour the candy melts into the coffee cup or small bowl, pour the Reese’s Pieces onto a flat surface (I used a cutting board), and some mason jars or glasses to hold the finished pretzel rod while it hardens.
Now you are ready to melt the chocolate. Pour the package of candy melts into your coffee cup. You will only use about half of the package, but I melted them all because I initially didn’t know how many one package would make.
Melt the chocolate by following the directions on the package. All of my candy melts didn’t fit into the coffee cup initially, so I filled it with what would fit and microwaved it on half power for one minute. I then took it out and stirred it, and then put it back in (at half power) for 30 minute increments until they were all melted. As they melted, and I stirred it, I was able to add the rest of the candy melted. It took about 2 1/2 minutes to melt the chocolate, but your results may vary depending on your microwave.
Once completely melted, place your coffee cup of chocolate on the counter and you are ready to start making the Indian corn. Grab one pretzel rod and dip it into the chocolate.
You will want to coat about 3 inches of the pretzel. When moving the pretzel rod around in the chocolate, be careful! I broke more than one pretzel when I wasn’t paying attention to how rough I was being. (You can bet I set them aside for a snack for myself!)
Pull the pretzel rod out of the chocolate and let any excess chocolate drip off. Now, carefully set the chocolate end of the pretzel rod on a layer of Reese’s Pieces.
Let it set for several seconds before you try to move it or all of the Reese’s Pieces will slide right off. When I make these again, I might try putting the Reese’s Pieces in the fridge in hopes that they would cool the melted chocolate a little quicker; although, once I got the timing down, it wasn’t hard at all.
Once you can move the pretzel rod without all of the Reese’s Pieces sliding off, carefully flip it over so they stick to the other side of the chocolate. Let that sit for a couple of minutes. While it was sitting, I grabbed pieces of the candy and set them onto any bare spots I notice.
When the chocolate is completely covered by Reese’s Pieces and cooled a little, carefully lift it off of the candies and gently set it into a mason jar. Don’t be surprised if some of the candies fall off while you are moving it.
Continue this until you have dipped and stuck candies on all of your pretzel rods. I was able to make 12 Indian corns before I ran out of Reese’s Pieces, your results may vary. If you have left-over melted chocolate, simply pour it into a zip-top plastic bag and save it until you need it again!
Now, we are ready to cut out the corn husks. You need 2 for each Indian corn you made. I was able to get four from each coffee filter. I used pinking shears, but you can use regular scissors if you like. Cut out your corn husks and then cut 12 pieces of raffia that are about 24 inches long.
Place the corn husks directly across from each other, covering the Reese’s Pieces. Tie them in place by wrapping the raffia several times over the bottoms of the husks. Tie the raffia into a knot.
You can trim the ends of the raffia if you like, or leave them long. I am using these as a decoration (and a treat for my grandkids) so I am leaving them out on the counter, but if you want yours to stay fresh for longer than a couple of days I suggest storing them in a zip-top plastic bag in a cool place until ready to use.
