chocolate caramel pretzels

Has anybody ever made or eaten peppernuts? They're tiny shortbread-like cookies that take roughly 87 years to make and 30 seconds to eat. 

Making them was a family event. My aunt, my grandma and my mom would make the dough, roll it out in long and snake-like strips, and then cut the dough into tiny squares for baking. 

The best part was that my grandma's stove door wouldn't stay closed properly, so she'd prop a chair against it to make sure the peppernuts baked properly. 

Meanwhile, my sisters and I were busy eating, playing and watching cartoons. 

Read: Not being helpful.  

This is not a recipe for peppernuts. But if you have a bunch of women in the family who are gluttons for punishment, get them the recipe for peppernuts and turn them loose to spend hours making tiny cookies that taste best dropped in your coffee cup and left to soak for a few seconds. 

On the other hand, if you don't have an entire day to make peppernuts, chocolate caramel pretzels are a close second. Set your oven to 350. Cut some Kraft caramels in half and layer on top of the pretzels. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until the caramel starts to melt. (It will seep into the cracks a bit more once you remove it from the oven.) Once the pretzels have cooled, dip in melted chocolate chips or melted chocolate bark. Slather in sprinkles. Voila! 

I didn't get a chance to make peppernuts this year. Maybe next year they'll happen . . . in my mom's kitchen with my sisters there to help . . . while I eat and play and watch cartoons. 

In the meantime, chocolatey, caramely pretzels will be a close second.