Bettys Pretzels Recipes

CHEESY PRETZELS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. Grease cookie sheet. Mix all ingredients except egg and coarse salt in medium bowl with fork until soft dough forms. Smooth dough gently into ball on floured board. Knead 10 times. Divide dough in half.
• Roll half of dough into 12x8-inch rectangle. Cut rectangle lengthwise into eight 1-inch strips. Fold each strip lengthwise in half into 12x1/2-inch strip; pinch edges to seal. Twist each strip into pretzel shape. Place seam down on cookie sheet.
• Beat egg in small bowl with fork until blended. Brush pretzels with egg. Sprinkle lightly with coarse salt.
• Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Repeat with remaining half of dough.

CARAMEL-PECAN PRETZELS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 250°F. On large cookie sheet, place pretzels in single layer. Place caramel piece on center of each pretzel. Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until caramels have softened. Remove from oven. Press pecan half into each caramel piece. Place close together on sheet of waxed paper.
• In separate 1-quart resealable freezer plastic bags, place chocolate chips and vanilla chips; seal bags. Microwave each on High 35 to 50 seconds, squeezing chips in bag every 15 seconds, until chips are melted and smooth.
• Cut small tip from bottom corner of each bag. Drizzle melted chocolate over pretzels. Carefully drizzle melted vanilla chips over chocolate. (If careful when drizzling, there is no need to let the chocolate set before drizzling the vanilla chips.) Refrigerate about 20 minutes or until chocolate is set.

SOFT PRETZELS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir 2 cups of the flour, the sugar, salt and yeast with a wooden spoon until well mixed. In a 1-quart saucepan, heat 1 1/2 cups water over medium heat until very warm and an instant-read thermometer reads 120°F to 130°F. Add the warm water and oil to the flour mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, stopping frequently to scrape batter from side and bottom of bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat on medium speed 1 minute, stopping frequently to scrape bowl. With a wooden spoon, stir in enough of the remaining flour, about 1/2 cup at time, until dough is soft, leaves side of bowl and is easy to handle (dough maybe slightly sticky).
• Sprinkle flour lightly on a countertop or large cutting board. Place dough on floured surface. Knead by folding dough toward you, then with the heels of your hands, pushing dough away from you with a short rocking motion. Move dough a quarter turn and repeat. Continue kneading about 5 minutes, sprinkling surface with more flour if dough starts to stick, until dough is smooth and springy. Lightly spray a sheet of plastic wrap with cooking spray; cover the dough loosely with the plastic wrap, sprayed side down. Let rest 10 minutes.
• Move the oven rack to the middle of the oven. Heat the oven to 425°F. Spray cookie sheets with the cooking spray. In a shallow bowl, stir 1 cup water and the baking soda to make pretzel "wash."
• Divide dough into 16 equal pieces. With your hands, roll each piece into a 24-inch rope (dip hands in pretzel wash to make rolling dough easier). To make pretzel shape, form rope into a circle, crossing ends at top. Fold dough so crossed ends rest on bottom of circle. Stir pretzel wash; brush over both sides of pretzel, using a pastry brush. Place pretzel on cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Reserve remaining pretzel wash. Cover pretzels loosely with plastic wrap. To make thin pretzels, let rest about 5 minutes or until very slightly puffed. To make thicker pretzels, let rise in a warm place 15 to 20 minutes or until puffed.
• Just before baking, brush pretzels with reserved wash; sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake 1 cookie sheet at a time 10 to 13 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheets to a cooling rack; cool at least 15 minutes. Serve warm or cooled.

PRETZELS WITH CHEESE FILLING

Steps:

• In large bowl, stir flour, yeast, salt and sugar with whisk. Add 1 cup warm water; stir to combine, slowly adding additional water as necessary to make dough easy to handle.
• Place dough on lightly floured surface. Knead 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and springy. Grease large bowl with oil. Place dough bowl, turning dough to grease all sides. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray; let rise in warm place about 30 minutes or until doubled in size. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.
• Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir together all of the filling ingredients.
• Heat oven to 425°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with cooking parchment paper. Gently push fist into dough to deflate. Place dough on lightly floured surface. Using floured rolling pin, roll to 16x12-inch rectangle. Using pizza cutter, cut dough crosswise into 8 (2- x 12-inch) strips. Spoon cheese mixture down center of each dough strip. Press dough over filling, pinching edges and ends to seal. Gently press or roll each rope to 15-inch length.
• To make pretzel shape, form each rope into U shape. Twist ends twice. Overlap twisted ends to form X shape; press together where dough touches. Pick ends up and place on rounded portion of U shape. Tuck one end under dough; place other end on top of dough.
• In medium microwavable bowl, microwave 2 cups water on High 2 minutes or until hot. Add baking soda; stir until dissolved. Dip each pretzel, one at a time, into water mixture. Immediately remove from water with large pancake turner; place on cooling rack. Let stand at room temperature, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir egg and 1 tablespoon water with fork. Brush pretzels with egg mixture; sprinkle with sea salt. Carefully transfer to cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on cooling rack, about 10 minutes. Serve warm or cool completely.

CHOCOLATE PRETZEL CUPCAKES WITH CARAMEL FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare cupcakes according to package directions. Cool completely before proceeding.
• In a piping bag, add thick stripes of caramel to the sides of the bag before spooning in the chocolate frosting. This will give a caramel swirl when the frosting is piped onto the cupcake. Pipe frosting onto all cupcakes.
• Crush mini pretzels to sprinkle over the top of the frosting. Garnish each cupcake with one whole mini pretzel.

STRAWBERRY-PRETZEL SALAD

Steps:

• Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Stir in strawberries; refrigerate until partially set, about 1 hour 45 minutes.
• Heat oven to 350° F. In medium bowl, mix Crust ingredients. Press into ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Bake 10 minutes. Cool on cooling rack.
• In medium bowl, beat Filling ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread over cooled crust. Cover and refrigerate until cool and gelatin topping in bowl is partially set.
• Carefully spoon gelatin topping over filling. Refrigerate 4 to 6 hours or until firm. To serve, cut into 4 rows by 3 rows.