Pretzel cigarettes with real Oreo crumb ashes look startlingly convincing. An easy white chocolate dipped treat for adult Halloween parties and poker night!
Why this recipe works
The trick to this treat is to use crushed Oreos for the ashes, not sanding sugar like you see in other Halloween pretzel cigarettes. Oreo crumbs run fine in a food processor and lightened with a little powdered sugar have the soft, powdery, uneven texture of real ash. Plus… it tastes considerably better too.
If I’m being totally honest, these took a while to make, but they were fun. I took them to our local watering hole and everyone loved them. They are perfect for a Halloween party or even poker night!
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
OREO COOKIES – You’ll want to use the entire cookie, cream included. The cream center is what gives the crumbs their slightly clumped, powdery texture. I run 14 whole cookies through the food processor until they are fine crumbs.
POWDERED SUGAR – Add this a little at a time rather than all at once, because you cannot pull it back out once the crumbs are too pale. You’re going for a light gray color that looks similar to ash instead of chocolate cookie. I usually don’t need the full cup.
WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIPS – White chocolate scorches faster than any other kind of chocolate, so melt it low and slow. I use a full 12 ounce bag because a deeper pool of chocolate makes dipping easier and keeps you off the hot bottom of the bowl, which is where scorching starts. Real white chocolate tastes considerably better than candy melts here, the same way it does in my white chocolate candy cane pretzel sticks. But either will work.
PRETZEL STICKS – The sturdiness of the pretzel sticks actually matters for these pretzel cigarettes. Snyder’s worked considerably better for me than Rold Gold pretzels. You can substitute with pretzel rods, but they’ll look more like cigars.
GEL FOOD COLORING – I would only suggest using gel food coloring, not the liquid kind. Liquid food coloring is water based and seizes melted white chocolate the instant it hits. Red, orange, or copper all work for the lit end.
How to Make Halloween Cigarette Pretzels
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Run the Oreo cookies (do not remove the cream centers) through a food processor until fine crumbs form.
- Add powdered sugar a little bit at a time until light gray in color, or until it looks like ashes. You may not use all the powdered sugar.
- Melt the white chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave on 50% power. White chocolate scorches easily, so slow is the best way to melt it.
- Place a piece of wax paper on your work surface.
- Dip each pretzel into the melted white chocolate, leaving about an inch or so of pretzel showing. Let the excess melted chocolate drip off, then dip the end into the Oreo crumbs to add “ashes”.
- Place on wax paper to set.
TIP – In the step photo, you will notice that there’s a section of the waxed paper that has blobs of melted chocolate on it. I place the pretzel onto the wax paper, then lift it again, which leaves behind excess chocolate. Then I place the pretzel down to set.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
Slowly, and with the heat as low as you can get it. White chocolate has a much lower burn point than milk or dark chocolate because of its milk solids, and once it scorches it turns grainy and there is no coming back from it. With a double boiler, bring the water to a boil first, then set the bowl on top and turn the heat down to a simmer before the chocolate goes in. In the microwave, use 50% power in short intervals, stirring well between each one. Pull it off the heat while there are still a few unmelted pieces and keep stirring. The residual warmth finishes melting the chocolate.
Fill a saucepan halfway with water and bring it to a boil. Set a bowl on top that just fits the rim, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Add the white chocolate chips and turn the heat down to a simmer. Let the chocolate start to melt, stirring as it goes. When it can be stirred but still has unmelted pieces in it, turn the heat off completely. The steam will finish melting it. Just keep stirring until everything is smooth.
It seized, which means moisture got into it. The usual culprits are water from the double boiler, either a splash from below or steam working its way in around the rim of the bowl, liquid food coloring, and a bowl or spoon that was not completely dry. Any of which can cause this. Seized chocolate can sometimes be loosened with a little neutral oil for other uses, but it will not dip cleanly, so it’s worth being careful with a fresh bag instead.
Yes, candy melts are more forgiving to work with since they are formulated to melt and set without tempering. The tradeoff is flavor. Candy melts are noticeably more waxy. I go with real white chocolate for the flavor, but the look is the same either way.
Any chocolate sandwich cookie works, off-brand versions crush down exactly the same. Chocolate graham crumbs are a decent second choice, though they are a bit too fine and too uniform to look super convincing.
Transfer a small amount of the melted white chocolate to a separate bowl and tint it with red, orange, or copper gel coloring. Before dipping the tip into the Oreo crumbs, dip it into the tinted chocolate first. The tinted layer peeks through the ash and looks like an ember.
Back in the 70s the ice cream man sold real candy cigarettes and nobody thought twice about it. They had mostly vanished from shelves by the late 90s, and attitudes shifted right along with them. I make these for adult gatherings, and that’s how I would recommend serving them. If you want a pretzel treat for a kids’ party, my cheese and pretzel broomsticks are a much better fit!
Storage and Freezing Information
- Store finished pretzel cigarettes in an airtight container at cool room temperature for up to a week.
- If your house is rather warm, you can keep them in the fridge kept in a sealed container so the pretzels do not pick up moisture and soften. Take them out shortly before serving rather than letting them sit, because condensation can form on the white chocolate as they come back to room temperature.
- The display ashtray can be assembled a few hours ahead, but the crumbs will slowly work their way up the chocolate if the cigarettes sit in them overnight. If you are making these more than a day out, store the cigarettes and the crumbs separately and assemble them the day of the party.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these at room temperature, arranged in a brand new ashtray or a shallow bowl filled with the Oreo crumbs. I used a shallow black bowl with a small black condiment bowl nested in the center, then arranged the cigarettes radiating outward like spokes, with a few resting across the center bowl as though somebody had just put them there. Scatter a handful of the crumbs across the table around the base to sell it.
They belong on an adult Halloween table, next to my kitty litter cake and boogers on a stick if you are going all in on the gross-out theme. For drinks, a spiderweb cocktail, Frankenstein margarita, and candy corn jello shots are fun adult sippers. For more ideas, check out my Halloween food ideas for everything from appetizers through dessert.
I have made these for poker nights, and they would be right at home at a bachelorette party, a casino-themed party, or a retro or Mad Men style get-together!
More Halloween Recipes
- Kitty Litter Cake
- Boogers on a Stick
- Witch Finger Cookies
- Vampire Sandwich Cookies
- Halloween Dirt Cupcakes
- Jalapeno Popper Mummies
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Halloween Pretzel Cigarettes
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Pin It Rate ItIngredients
- 14 Oreo cookies
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 cups pretzel sticks
- 12 ounces white chocolate chips
- Red, orange, or copper gel food coloring optional
Things You’ll Need
Before You Begin
- Use gel food coloring only, never liquid. Liquid coloring is water based and will seize melted white chocolate on contact.
- Add the powdered sugar to the crumbs gradually. Once the color goes too pale you cannot correct it. You may not need the full cup.
- Melt the white chocolate low and slow. White chocolate scorches faster than milk or dark, and once it goes grainy it cannot be saved.
- Buy thin pretzel sticks, not pretzel rods. Rods make cigars, which is a different look. Check sturdiness too, because flimsier brands break during dipping. Snyder’s held up better than Rold Gold for me.
Instructions
- Run the Oreo cookies (do not remove the cream centers) through a food processor until fine crumbs form.14 Oreo cookies
- Add powdered sugar a little bit at a time until light gray in color, or until it looks like ashes. You may not use all the powdered sugar.1 cup powdered sugar
- Melt the white chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave on 50% power. White chocolate scorches easily, so slow is the best way to melt it.12 ounces white chocolate chips
- Place a piece of wax paper on your work surface.
- Dip each pretzel into the melted white chocolate, leaving about an inch or so of pretzel showing. Let the excess melted chocolate drip off, then dip the end into the Oreo crumbs to add “ashes”. IF you want to add embers to your cigarettes, see the "optional" section below. Do so BEFORE dipping into the cookie crumbs.TIP – I place the pretzel onto the wax paper, then lift it again, which leaves behind excess chocolate. Then I place the pretzel down to set.2 cups pretzel sticks
- Place on wax paper to set.
Optional
- You can tint a small amount of the white chocolate with gel food coloring to add a burning end. Simply transfer a small amount of the white chocolate to another bowl and tint it, then before dipping the pretzel into the Oreo crumbs, dip it first into the tinted white chocolate.
To Display
- Place Oreo crumbs into a brand new ashtray or large bowl and arrange cigarettes around it. I used a shallow black bowl with a small black condiment bowl in the center.
Expert Tips & FAQs
- Nutrition is calculated using only the pretzels and half the white chocolate, since most of the dipping chocolate drips off and the Oreo crumb ash is display material rather than something you eat by the serving.
- Store in an airtight container kept at cool room temperature for up to a week.
Nutrition
The recipes on this blog are tested with a conventional gas oven and gas stovetop. It’s important to note that some ovens, especially as they age, can cook and bake inconsistently. Using an inexpensive oven thermometer can assure you that your oven is truly heating to the proper temperature. If you use a toaster oven or countertop oven, please keep in mind that they may not distribute heat the same as a conventional full sized oven and you may need to adjust your cooking/baking times. In the case of recipes made with a pressure cooker, air fryer, slow cooker, or other appliance, a link to the appliances we use is listed within each respective recipe. For baking recipes where measurements are given by weight, please note that results may not be the same if cups are used instead, and we can’t guarantee success with that method.
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