At the risk of sounding like an unfortunate Cathy comic, I’ll admit I usually have a craving for chocolate at any given moment.  One of my favorite treats is chocolate covered pretzels which perfectly combines crunchy, salty, and chocolatey goodness.  And because I am obsessed with all sweets coffee flavored these particular pretzels are spiked with coffee extract.

{Melt eight ounces of milk chocolate, 1/2 tablespoon of shortening, and 3/4 tablespoon pure coffee extract in a double boiler as described here.}

{Dip the pretzels in the melted chocolate using a fork or your fingers, just be careful because the chocolate will be hot!}

{Place the dipped pretzels on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with vanilla sugar.  Then refrigerate until the chocolate has hardened.}

{These are meant for sharing (unless you have self-control and won’t eat them all at once like I would)!  Divide into treat bags or little mason jars for delicious distribution.}

{Tie with fabric and a ribbon to dress the jars up a bit.}