Favorite Favors

Many brides these days are setting up a candy "bar" at their reception, or a sweets table filled with delicious treats guests can take home.  I really love this idea; it is so cute (and yummy), and you can basically take it in any direction.  Your sweets table can be as elaborate or simple as you wish, depending on the style of your reception.  Here is an example of an elaborate sweets table designed by Amy Atlas (nobody does a sweets table better than her!).

If you want to try doing this in a simple, more timely and cost-efficient way, try choosing just one treat to send home with your guests.  My personal favorite?  Chocolate covered pretzels!  They are so cute and delicious.  For years, I have been making chocolate covered pretzels with a friend of mine who owns a small business called Pink Sugar.  She sells these gourmet chocolate pretzels in a lovely little boutique in Nashville (The Dotted Line) and was once-upon-a-time mentioned in Southern Living!  She's had me help her with custom pretzel orders for all kinds of occasions - from holiday parties to birthday parties to wedding favors.  We've used different kinds of chocolate in all different colors to mix and mix and mix until we get the chocolate to match the exact color of the bridesmaids' dresses!  They make for really cute favors, as they can come in nearly any way you like: rods or twists, white, milk or dark chocolate, chocolate drizzled over the top, sugar crystals on top, any color of the rainbow, etc...

We've made white chocolate twists with a light pink chocolate drizzle on top for a baby shower.

We've made baby blue chocolate rods with white chocolate drizzled over the top for a birthday party.

We've made white chocolate rods and twists covered with red and green sugar crystals for the holidays.

We've made bright pink chocolate with white sugar crystals on top for wedding favors.

The list goes on and on...the point is that you can personalize these in any way, and they are just. so. cute.  My personal favorite for weddings is white chocolate twists with white sugar crystals on top.  I made these as favors for my wedding.  I placed two pretzels in a clear cellophane bag and tied it with a blue silk ribbon, the same shade as my bridesmaids' dresses. 

These chocolate covered pretzels are an easy DIY project, as long as you have a little bit of time and patience, and a LOT of counter space.  Just melt baking chocolate in a double boiler until it is at a smooth, runny consistency.  Dip the pretzel all the way into the chocolate, and lift out with a fork, letting most of the excess chocolate drip off.  There is an art to this step, as you don't want all of the excess chocolate to drip off - you want to kind of flip the pretzel around as you lay it down, making some of the excess chocolate swirl around the pretzel, giving it a fancy finish.  Lay the pretzels on parchment paper, and sprinkle with the sugar crystals while the chocolate is still wet.  If you would prefer to drizzle a different color chocolate over the pretzel instead of using sugar crystals, I recommend waiting until the first layer of chocolate has dried before drizzling - just so the colors don't run.  Let the chocolate harden completely before touching.

You can also sometimes find these pretzels in bakeries, if you prefer to have someone else make them for you.