Making your own chocolate dipped goodies is easy and extremely gratifying. You can whip up chocolate covered pretzels in a jiffy and delight your friends, coworkers, neighbors...or you can hoard them all for yourself, you naught little thing!

48 small pretzels
8 oz. white or dark candy dipping chocolate (aka "bark coating")
3 - 4 oz. of contrasting candy dipping chocolate, royal icing, or sprinkles, if desired

Line 2 cookie sheets with wax paper. Place dipping chocolate in a glass measuring cup. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave 1 more minute, or until smooth, stirring every 20 seconds.

Dip the pretzels in the chocolate to coat.

NOTE: It's perfectly acceptable, and considerably easier, to dip the pretzels by hand, thereby leaving part of the pretzel undipped. We used Christmas tree shaped pretzels, so the "trunk" was left bare, to attractive effect.

Place dipped pretzels on wax paper. Refrigerate until chocolate hardens, at least 15 minutes, or until the chocolate hardens. Store in an airtight container.

If you like, you can decorate pretzels by drizzling them with contrtasting chocolate (above) or royal icing (below). Let royal icing harden for several hours before storing pretzels (it smudges easily).