Perfect for Snacking Pretzel Bites

If ever there was a time for snacking, the time is now.And the answer for "what should I eat?" is definitely these soft pretzel bites.

Who Ate My Quarantine Snacks?

Covid-19 has left us all stuck in our homes and held captive by our snacks. Here on the Texas Gulf Coast, we only know one way of preparing to stay put for a while - and that's "hunkering down" hurricane style, i.e., with plenty of bottled water, toilet paper, and packaged sweets and chips that will stay good for a while.Most of the time, those snacks are gone in the first few days. And that might be the case for you in quarantine now too. But this season of staying home is much different than those hurricane-like days in the past. It's been an endless array of groundhog days were every day seems to feel exactly like the day before - and we still have electricity and running water (thank the Lord!).So with every day feeling like the next, it's that much more important to keep our spirits up with cheap entertainment. In our house, that means going outside to explore and cooking.

Cooking is Interactive Learning!

Yesterday, that meant my daughter and I got in the kitchen and made some soft pretzel bites. My kids love pretzels and these soft ones are perfect straight from the oven. We pretended the dough was Play Doh and made long skinny "snakes" of dough and after they were cut into bite-size pieces, she"painted" the pieces with egg wash.This recipe makes approximately 120 pretzel bites and I can guarantee you that they will all be gone in a day. Or if you serve them when you have a party, they will most definitely be a hit!

Soft Pretzel Bites Recipe

Pretzel Bites

The perfect salty snack for any party or afternoon munch session are these soft pretzel bites. They're fresh bread dough topped with coarse salt and served with a cheddar cheese sauce!

Soft Pretzels:

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 package active dry yeast ((2 1/4 teaspoons))
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour (or all purpose)
• Vegetable oil
• 3 quarts water
• 1/3 cup baking soda ((for boiling the pretzels))
• 1 whole egg beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water
• Coarse sea salt

Cheese Sauce:

• ½ Tablespoon unsalted butter
• ½ Tablespoon all-purpose flour
• ½ cup milk
• 8 ounces Cheddar cheese (grated)

For the Pretzels:

1. Combine the 1 1/2 cups water, sugar, yeast, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with the dough hook until combined. Let sit for 5 minutes.

   

2. Add the salt and flour and mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, about 3 to 4 minutes. If the dough appears too wet, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Remove the dough from the bowl, place on a flat surface and knead into a ball with your hands.
   
3. Oil a bowl with vegetable oil, add the dough and turn to coat with the oil. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.
   
4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
5. Bring the 3 quarts of water to a boil in a small roasting pan over high heat and carefully add the baking soda. It will boil over, so add slowly and be careful!

6. Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a flat surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, about 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 ounces each. Roll each piece into a long rope measuring 22 inches and shape. Cut the dough into one inch pieces to make the pretzel bites. Boil the pretzel bites in the water solution in batches.

   

7. We did about 15 bites at a time. Boil for about 30 seconds. Remove with a large slotted spoon. Place pretzel bites on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Make sure they are not touching. Brush the tops with the egg wash and season liberally with the salt. Place into the oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown.

   

8. Remove to a baking rack and let rest 5 minutes before eating. Serve with cheese sauce.
   

To make the Cheese Sauce:

1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and cook until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the Cheddar cheese until smooth and all of the cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

*If you want to make cinnamon and sugar pretzel bites-instead of adding salt, sprinkle the bites with cinnamon and sugar. For the frosting mix-soft cream cheese-about 3 T, powdered sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla extract, and a little bit of milk. Whisk together. Add more milk if it is too thick, if it is too thin, add more powdered sugar. I don't measure. I just guess until the consistency is right.*

Appetizer, Snack

American

pretzel, pretzel bites, soft pretzel

Products Used:

If you'd like to make the traditional twist soft pretzels, check out the recipe here.[activecampaign form=1]

Candy Cane Christmas Cake Roll

Whether you're attending a Christmas party at someone's house or hosting a holiday get together in your own home, this Christmas cake roll is sure to be a big hit! Here's why I like it:

1. This recipe uses a box cake mix, so that means it automatically starts off easy
2. Talk about cheap to make! You literally use leftover candy canes and budget-friendly ingredients to make this dessert and the finished product costs less than $5 total.
3. It's a super festive dessert that looks great and looks like you worked really hard, but it's simple as long as you work quickly and effectively.

So get out those cake mix boxes and let's start baking!

Candy Cane Christmas Cake Roll

Spongy cake is wrapped up with sweet icing and topped with leftover candy cane pieces. It's the perfect dessert to enjoy this holiday season!

• 6 eggs
• 1 red velvet boxed cake mix
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 containers whipped frosting ((16 oz containers))
• 1/2 cup candy canes (finely chopped)

1. Heat oven to 375°. Line the bottom of a jelly roll pan (size 15x10x1) with parchment paper. Spray the paper and sides of the pan with baking cooking spray (the kind with flour in it).

2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs for 6 minutes or until frothy. Add in the cake mix, water, and oil. (I used a butter cake mix, so I also added a red gel food coloring to make it appear red, but if you use a red velvet cake mix, you can skip this step). Mix the ingredients until well blended.

3. Pour 3 1/2 cups of batter into the pan and use a spatula to spread the batter to the sides of the pan. Set aside the remaining batter.

4. Bake for about 14 minutes (or until a toothpick will come out clean in the middle). Take a large (clean) kitchen towel and sprinkle the powdered sugar all over it. Once the cake is done, immediately turn the cake out onto the powdered sugar covered towel and peel off the parchment paper. Starting at the narrow end, roll the towel and cake into itself, creating a spiral. Cool the rolled-up cake on the counter for 10 minutes at room temperature and then place in the refrigerator for one hour to cool.

5. For the remainder of the batter, line a muffin tin with 6 baking cups and divide the batter between the cups. Bake at 375° for 15-18 minutes.

6. Unroll the cake carefully and remove the towel. Allow the end to remain slightly curled. Spread one full container and one half of another container of frosting over the surface of the cake. Re-roll the cake, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 minutes.

7. Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Spread half of the second container of icing across the top of the roll. Cover the icing with candy cane pieces. Slice and enjoy!

Products Used:

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