E is a huge fan of Thomas the Train, and has been since he was about 1 and a half. For both his second and his third birthdays he has requested a Thomas the Tank Engine birthday party. The first year, I went with a lot of store-bought favors and decorations (it might have had something to do with being 7 months pregnant too), however, for his second birthday I decided to do it with more of a DIY flare.
Instead of buying Thomas-themed toys that are expensive and kids don’t really use, I instead decided to make Thomas-inspired chocolate covered pretzels to put in the treat bags. These were really easy to make and the kids (and parents!) loved them.
Materials:
- Pretzel rods
- Wilton’s meltable chocolate wafers in blue, red, green, and yellow
- Microwave-safe container
- Baking sheet
- Nonstick foil
- Decorating bottle
First, line up a number of the pretzel rods on a foil-lined baking sheet. This will make it easier since you only have a limited amount of time to decorate the pretzels once you have melted the chocolate.
Here is the way I paired up the chocolate to match the Thomas the Train engines:
Thomas: Thomas is a blue engine with red trim (Blue/Red)
Percy: Percy is a green engine with red trim (Green/Red)
James: James is a red engine with yellow trim (Red/Yellow)
You will want to melt the chocolate for the base first. Put a number of the meltable wafers into a microwave-safe bowl. Melt the wafers according to the directions on the package. This can vary from company to company, so be sure to check.
After the chocolate has melted, roll the pretzel in chocolate so that it is covered about halfway up.
Then, lay the pretzel on the baking sheet to dry. Do this for each of the colors that you want to make pretzels with.
To do the drizzle swirls on the pretzels, you will want to fill up a decorating bottle with the melted chocolate. The easiest way to do this probably is with a spoon. After you have gotten enough in the bottle, drizzle it over the pretzels. You will want to do this all in one squeeze if you can, that way it will look smooth.
Then all you have to do is put them in a candy bag and tie them with a ribbon and they made the perfect inexpensive party favors!
Comment On: Have you ever done your own party favors? What did you do?
