For dessert, I wanted to make something simple but tasty. The idea of melting Hershey's Hugs onto square pretzels and pushing M&Ms down into them has been floating around the internet for a while now. Since I was making Irish Stew and Cheesy Soda Scones for dinner, I decided to make these vaguely Irish and use green M&Ms only.
And the name? Well, I'm just a dork. An actual leprechaun hug could quite possibly be the thing that nightmares are made of, but these leprechaun hugs are the perfect balance of sweet, salty and addicting. That's a good, albeit dangerous, thing.
These are very easy to make, but it takes a while to unwrap all of the hugs. I took them out of the oven after 4 minutes and they weren't quite melted enough, so I popped them back in for a few more minutes. They harden best with a quick blast in the fridge. These were a big hit, and would be great at any St. Patrick's Day party!
If you like desserts like this, you may also enjoy my recipe for butterscotch haystacks.
📖 Recipe
Leprechaun Hugs (Pretzel Hugs)
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 200°F.
- 2. Unwrap hugs and place in a bowl.
- 3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay out pretzels on top of the prepared baking sheet. Stand a Hug up on the center of each square.
- 4. Bake for 3-6 minutes, until the Hugs are soft enough to press the M&Ms down into the tops, but not so soft that they’re melted all over the place.
- 5. Remove from the oven and press one M&M down into the center of each Hug.
- 6. Let the tray cool to the touch, and then pop it into the refrigerator for a few minutes until the chocolate is set. Enjoy straight out of the fridge or at room temperature.
Joanne says
These are the kind of treat that would have me standing by the table, popping them one after another!
Gwen says
These are so cute (and yummy!!) I will be making these w my 3 little ones! Thanks for sharing!