Soft pretzels don’t really get the attention they deserve.
Yes, sometimes you catch a delicious waft of them as you walk through the mall, or maybe you pick one up at the movie theater. But for the most part, people don’t talk about soft pretzels enough.
I decided to look further into this under-consumed food to see if I could whip up a Super Easy Soft Pretzel party snack.
After researching several variations of making soft pretzels that involved active yeast, boiling water and baking soda, I decided to try using some premade dough. Pillsbury’s breadstick dough did the trick! Simply unravel the breadstick dough and use two strips at a time, pressing the seams together tightly to make one long piece. Using your best braiding technique, shape your dough into the classic pretzel shape. The trick to stopping your dough from puffing up and losing its pretzel shape? Freeze the pretzels on a cookie sheet before baking. (This trick also works with cut-out cookies: No more bloated Christmas cookies!)
After about 20 minutes in the freezer, brush the pretzels with melted butter and stick them in the oven for about 12 minutes. When your pretzels turn a golden color and your house smells like heaven, you know they’re done. Sprinkle on some sea salt and serve right out of the oven!
If you can restrain yourself from eating them all right away, you can also play around with toppings to give your spread variety. For my guests, I created a “Sweet” station and a “Salty” station with several toppings. For the sweet station, I used cinnamon, sugar and melted chocolate for the toppings. The chocolate topping was my favorite—salt and chocolate go together surprisingly well! For the salty pretzels, I offered melted cheese, two types of mustard and marinara sauce.
Other pretzel display ideas I might try: Pretzels on a stick, pretzels on a necklace (perfect for a Princess Party for your little princess!) and a stack o’ pretzels would all make for a pretty presentation!
These treats are so simple to make, and with a plethora of toppings to choose from, the flavor possibilities are endless!
Let’s give soft pretzels some love, shall we? Next time you’re hanging with the gang watching a movie, don’t serve that predictable popcorn. Instead serve up a soft pretzel station. Your guests will be blown away, and soft pretzels will finally have their moment in the sun!
Pretzels With a Twist!
Here are some other pretzel recipe ideas to nibble on:
Super Easy Soft Pretzels (Featured recipe)
Advertise on Platefull