Sweet cigarette snacks

Hey people! Are you ready for a smoky delicious snack? These amazingly gross sweet cigarette snacks are the right thing. Smokers and non-smokers, everyone will like these salty pretzel rods covered with chocolate and a touch of sugar. Fun is guaranteed.

Again I was thinking about what to prepare for the Halloween party. I wanted something special and not pretty to see but still an eye-catcher. Wink. That’s the point of Halloween after all.

I have seen a photo of this snack online and I had to give it a try. So cool! Gross but somehow cute at the same time. The cigarettes and the ashes looked so amazingly realistic. I could smell the cigarette stink. Hahaha. A perfect snack for Halloween night.

To make these fun cigarettes, you’ll need some pretzel rods. You can get three cigar butts out of one pretzel rod. Simply break each rod into three parts. They don’t need to be completely the same. Different lengths make it more interesting. More, the pretzel rod is resembling the filter, while the white chocolate part looks like the remaining cigarette paper wrapping. Salty and sweet meet in this snack.

Melting chocolate

There is melting chocolate and there is the right way of melting chocolate. Simply melting the chocolate and then applying it on the rods, will not have the perfect looks and texture. The chocolate should shine and it should make that crack sound when biting into it.

In order to achieve that, you have to do it like a pro. Wink. The process is called tempering. It is quite simple. In fact, there are three steps to follow. Firstly, melt the chocolate. The best way to do it in your home kitchen is to use a double boiler or a bain marie. Like just said, melt 2/3 of the chocolate using a double boiler on low heat. White chocolate is extremely sensible and tricky, therefore it shouldn’t reach more than 40°C. Otherwise, it will get lumps and get solid again. And we don’t want that. Right?

Secondly, cool it down. To cool the chocolate, stir in the remaining white chocolate. Give it an occasional stir until it reaches 26°-27°C. This part is important because not only it cools the chocolate but it also created the right chocolate crystals that give that shiny look.

Last but not least, warm the chocolate back to 28°-29°C. That’s about it. It is all about going through three temperature stages. Make sure you have a thermometer at hand. Wink.

If the chocolate cools down, while you are using it, pop it back on the double boiler for 10 seconds.

Sparks and ashes

Furthermore, to make it look as realistic as possible, I added “the spark” and “ashes”. A small amount of red-coloured white chocolate at the tip of the pretzel rod will give that still-burning cigar butt look.

But how do you make the ashes? It is so easy, you will laugh. The ashes are simply coloured sugar. I made the black/silver sugar myself. All you need to do is mix sugar and a small amount of food-colouring gel. The best way to do it is using a small plastic bag. Your hands will stay clean. Too much gel and your sugar will result wet and sticky. Therefore, start with adding a little at a time, until you are satisfied with the texture and colour.

This is pretty much it. Not many ingredients but you get a sensational Halloween snack out of it. For more Halloween snacks and ideas check also these spooky finger cookies, the sweet monster strawberry cupcakes, cute and really tasty mummies or the marbled deviled eggs.

Ingredients for ca 100 sweet cigarette snacks:

• about 30 pretzel rods
• around 100 g white chocolate (chopped)
• red food colouring gel (Wilton)
• black food colouring gel (Wilton)
• 3 Tbsp of caster sugar

To begin, prepare a silicone mat or a piece of baking sheet. Break each pretzel rod into three parts and place them aside.

To make the “ashes”, combine sugar and a small amount (a tip of a toothpick) of the black colouring gel. Use more if needed. You can mix them in a small plastic bag by shaking and squeezing it. Once the colour and texture are right, place it aside.

Furthermore, temper the chocolate. Using a double boiler, melt 2/3 of the chocolate on lower heat. After is all melted (40°C), remove it from the heat and stir in the remaining chocolate chunks. Stir to cool down (26°-27°C). Heat it back to 28°-29°C. Dip each pretzel rod into the chocolate by leaving 2 cm uncoated. It doesn’t matter how long the pretzel rod is, you should always leave 2 cm “clean”. You might ask someone to help you, to prevent the chocolate from cooling too quickly.

If the chocolate cools down, place it back on the double boiler for 5-10 seconds. After the white chocolate on the pretzel rods is set (it should take less than 2 minutes), transfer some of the white chocolate into a smaller bowl and mix it with some red colour.

At this time it is going to be quick. Take one cigar butt with each hand, dip only the tip (choco side) into the red chocolate and straight away into the sugar. Lay on the mat or paper. Continue with the remaining pretzel rods.

Finally, add the coloured sugar onto a plate that you are going to use as an ashtray. Then, nicely arrange the sweet cigarette snacks on top of it and around the plate. Make it look messy but pretty.

Enjoy and happy Halloween!