Cinnamon Sugar Chocolate Pretzels

October. I made the pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. I make them every October, have made them every October since 2017, since the first September 14th when I needed something that smelled like a season I wanted to be in. This is the seventh batch. The recipe is the same: Aldi canned pumpkin, flour, eggs, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, a bag of chocolate chips. The apartment smells like October. The babies ate cookies with their whole faces. Ryan ate four without commenting, which is his highest form of endorsement.

This is the first October without Babcia Rose. I have been aware of this since September first, in the way you are aware of firsts the year after a loss: counting them, not wanting to count them, unable to stop. First Sunday dinner without her. First September 14th since she died. Now first October. First fall without Babcia Rose in her kitchen making the things she made in the fall.

I cooked from the notebook twice this week. The potato pancakes again, which I have now made four times and which are getting closer. I also made the beet salad, the one with vinegar and caraway and a little sugar, the one Babcia Rose always brought to parties in a container that nobody could figure out how she transported without leaking. I made it in my own container. It did not leak. I am taking this as a sign.

Nora said "Babcia" on Saturday and then looked around the room. She is nineteen months old. She has not seen Babcia Rose since before she could reliably walk. I do not know what she was looking for. I sat on the floor with her and said: Babcia Rose is not here anymore, but we remember her. Nora looked at me with the full considering gaze and said "Babcia" again, softly, and went back to her blocks. I stayed on the floor for a while after that.

The pumpkin cookies are theirs—Nora’s and Milo’s and Ryan’s—and I will keep making them every October for as long as I have Octobers. But this week I also wanted something I could make with the babies beside me, something with chocolate and cinnamon and enough mess to make them laugh, something that didn’t carry the whole weight of the last year. These Cinnamon Sugar Chocolate Pretzels were exactly that: quick enough to keep little hands busy, sweet enough to feel celebratory, and just spiced enough to smell like the season we are all trying to be present in together.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 5 min | Total Time: 20 min + 30 min chill | Servings: 24

Ingredients

24 mini pretzel twists
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1 tablespoon coconut oil or vegetable shortening, divided
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of fine sea salt

Instructions

Prep your workspace. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the pretzel twists in a single layer. Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl and set aside.
Melt the dark chocolate. Combine the semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each, until fully melted and smooth—about 60 to 90 seconds total. Do not overheat.
Dip the pretzels. Using a fork or dipping tool, submerge each pretzel into the melted dark chocolate, letting the excess drip back into the bowl. Place the coated pretzels back on the parchment-lined sheet.
Add the cinnamon sugar. While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle each pretzel generously with the cinnamon sugar mixture and a tiny pinch of sea salt. Work quickly so the coating adheres before the chocolate sets.
Melt the white chocolate. In a clean microwave-safe bowl, melt the white chocolate chips with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil using the same 30-second burst method until smooth.
Drizzle. Transfer the melted white chocolate to a small zip-top bag and snip a tiny corner, or use a spoon, to drizzle thin lines across the coated pretzels for decoration.
Chill and set. Refrigerate the tray for at least 30 minutes, or until the chocolate is completely firm. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

Nutrition (per serving)

Cinnamon Sugar Chocolate Pretzels — The October Batch, Made With Whole Faces and Full Hearts