Saturday, April 3, 2010

Re-attempting a previously failed theme. Is anyone else nervous?

With springtime brings seasonal allergies; pastel-colored candies, tank tops, and disposable dinnerware; and the tuning up of the symphony of flip-flops, their slapping on the concrete as omnipresent as cicadas' buzz in the warmer months.

It also brings Easter.

Last year for Easter, I made these cookies, which were chocolatey and sugary delights (not to mention meticulously measured). This year, I began brainstorming early, trying to think of an absolutely fantastic contribution to the dessert table. Ideas bounced crazily around my head like a child that had eaten all the sugary confections I contemplated. Cupcakes? Cake? I pondered.

Finally, a few days before Easter, I walked into Michael's, saw they were having a sale on Wilton candy melts, and the decision was made.

Candy covered pretzels.

Yes, I know how this went last time.

With a profound sense of confidence that came out of I'm not really sure where, I bought a bag of purple and a bag of yellow. I was ready. So ready.

The only moment of indecision occurred in the supermarket, when deciding what shape of pretzel to turn purple or yellow. Seriously, who knew there were so many different shapes of little salted (or unsalted variety) pretzel? It was impressive. It was overwhelming. I pondered, looking at the thin ones, the thick ones, the short ones, the long ones, the honey mustard ones (those were ruled out fairly quickly), the rows and columns of pretzel that lay before me.

I eventually settled on (after consulting my mom's opinion on this decision as well) the square ones (the ones that look like you could play tic-tac-toe in them if you had a really really tiny writing instrument).

After being dipped in candy melts:
Lots of pretzels

Ready for easter

Well, that went pretty well, now didn't it? Not to toot my own horn over dipping half a pretzel in a chocolate melt, but the outcome was pretty crowd-pleasing. And there was no burned or crumbling chocolate in sight.

Today's lesson: Even if something goes pretty wrong the first time you attempt it, it may be worth it to try it again. Unless it was just doomed from the start. Then you could just try making these pretzels. They're quite good.

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