Soft Pretzel Bites, served with Spicy Cheese Dipping Sauce

Soft pretzels are our kryptonite. If they are available, we will eat them… at a festival, a sporting event, the mall, an appetizer at a restaurant… literally, anywhere. We have always had a love affair with soft pretzels. We usually don’t eat them with any sort of dipping sauce, save for when we're at Hofbrauhaus and their huge Bavarian pretzel shows up as an appetizer. Then, we can’t resist the bier cheese that is served along with it. Truthfully, even though it’s an appetizer, we could make that our entire meal. Don’t put it past us to go to a hockey game or a baseball game and indulge in a soft pretzel and a drink and call it dinner. Actually, we do it pretty often.

We never said we were a fancy girl.

We have been making this superb soft pretzel recipe for years now, but a couple of months ago, we started to prefer the pretzel nuggets when we made our obligatory pretzel stop while shopping – a higher chewy outside to soft inside ratio, which we love. We finally decided to tweak our pretzel recipe ever so slightly to make little nuggets.

While we could eat these all day, every day without dipping them in anything, we were craving a cheese sauce the day we made these. We first made this cheese sauce (technically queso) from A Spicy Perspective back on Bowl Sunday. It was, without a doubt, a standby queso we have ever had that didn’t come from a Mexican restaurant. The sauce was smooth and creamy and evenly spiced, and we could have eaten the entire pot myself with a side of carbs.

For this dipping sauce, if you prefer to not have a smokey flavor, simply omit the chipotle chiles. If you prefer it to not be spicy, simply omit the chipotle chiles and the jalapeño peppers. It’s evenly adaptable to individual tastes, so it’s just as straightforward to create a basic cheese sauce if you’d like.

Whether you choose to dip or not, these little nuggets are the reliable snack for lazy summer days, picnics, lounging by the pool, or watching a game. This entire batch lasted a mere 24 hours in our house, so prepare to hoard these!

One year ago: Buttermilk Biscuits with Sausage Gravy
Two years ago: Coconut Cream Pie
Five years ago: Sweet and Sour Chicken

• Yield: 12 servings
• Prep: 30 minutes
• Cook: 15 minutes
• Total: 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients

For the Soft Pretzels:

• 1½ cups ( 375 ml ) warm water
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2¼ teaspoons ( 2.25 teaspoons ) active dry yeast, 1 packet
• 4½ cups ( 562.5 g ) all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 10 cups ( 2.5 l ) water
• ⅔ cups ( 80 g ) baking soda
• 1 egg yolk + 1 tablespoon water, whisked together (for egg wash)
• Coarse salt, for sprinkling

For the Spicy Cheese Dipping Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 shallot, finely minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 jalapeños, seeded and minced
• 2 chipotle chiles, minced (canned in adobo sauce)
• 12 ounces ( 340.2 ml ) canned evaporated milk (1½ cups)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 4 ounces ( 113.4 g ) cream cheese, cut into cubes and softened
• 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
• 12 ounces ( 340.2 g ) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 3 cups)

Method

1. Make the Soft Pretzels: Combine the water, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, until the mixture begins to foam.
2. Add the flour and butter. Use the dough hook attachment to mix on low speed until all of the ingredients are combined. Increase the mixer speed to medium and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, about 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Remove the dough from the mixer and place in a clean, oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until the dough has doubled in size, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
4. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and brush with the vegetable oil; set aside.
5. Combine the water and baking soda in a large, wide pot (a Dutch oven works reliable for this). Bring the mixture to a rolling boil.
6. In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a rope about 1-inch in diameter. Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut the rope into 1-inch pieces. Place onto the parchment-lined baking sheets.
7. Place the pretzels into the boiling water, about half a baking sheet at a time (or however many will fit comfortably given the size of your pot - don't crowd them), for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a spider strainer or a slotted spoon. Place the boiled pretzels back on the baking sheet, brush the top of each with the egg wash and sprinkle with coarse salt.
8. Bake until dark golden brown in color, about 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.
9. Make the Cheese Dipping Sauce: (we made the sauce while the pretzel dough was rising, then reheated it gently over extremely low heat when ready to serve.) Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot, garlic and jalapeños and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, or until softened but not browned.
10. Stir in the chipotle peppers and the evaporated milk, then whisk in the cornstarch until thoroughly incorporated. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and add the cream cheese and mustard. Stir until the cream cheese is completely melted.
11. Add the shredded cheese a handful at a time, stirring after each until the cheese is completely melted. Serve immediately, or keep warm over the very, low heat (do not let the bottom of the pan scorch) or on the warm setting in a small slow cooker.