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You guys!!! Happy first day of Fall! ??
I know I’ve probably talked your ear off about the start of fall this week, but I am just so excited!
It’s finally my very favorite time of the year!
OK, with the exception of Christmas, but weather-wise this is my favorite time. So basically, the next three months are MY months. I love September, October, November, and December. UGH. Sorry, I’m being totally beyond annoying right now.
I’ll stop…
WATCH THE HOW-TO VIDEO:
Oh but wait! I have something VERY fun and exciting to share! Because it’s the first day of fall, and because I love you guys all so very much, and because I really wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who supported and voted for me in the recent Bloglovin Awards, I’m hosting an autumn-themed GIVEAWAY!
Yes, a giveaway, and it’s a really good one! My friends at Staub offered to send three of you my very favorite Staub Pumpkin Cocotte. I LOVE this pot and ok, I have totally been using it since the start of September. Sorry, not sorry…
Here are the details, this is an Instagram only giveaway, so head on over to the HBH Instagram for all the details AND watch a brand new video for this Pumpkin Spice Latte. Hehe! You see, so many fun things!! Now do you understand why I am so excited for today? It’s the first day of fall, major giveaways are happening, a new pumpkin spice latte video is up, AND… we are talking about cheesy soft pretzels right here, right now.
I mean, yes please! 🙂
Ok ok, so maybe we should ACTUALLY talk about these cheesy soft pretzels, yes let’s do that!
Oh, how I love soft pretzels…
…one: hot buttered rum cinnamon sugar stuffed soft pretzels
…two: peanut butter cup soft pretzel ice cream sandwiches
…three: warm chocolate chip cookie dough stuffed soft pretzels (legit, these are the BEST thing ever)
…four: spinach, artichoke + bacon stuffed soft pretzels
Ahh, yeah. I may be slightly obsessed with soft pretzels, apparently stuffed soft pretzels in particular. Whatever, they are just so good! Pretty sure I get my love of buttery soft pretzels from mom. She loves them too, but then are you surprised?
What’s not to love about salty, buttery carbs? Too good!
Today though, I made us something that’s one, probably totally expected out of me (hello carb and cheese freak here), two, completely addicting, and three, the bestest autumn appetizer/snack there ever was!
Pumpkin Beer Pretzels with Chipotle Queso
Um, YES… that’s right, soft buttery pretzels dipped in a creamy cheddar cheese sauce. We are so going there today, and it is going to be everything!
SIDE NOTE: after all, it is game day, so these pretzels are totally worth every calorie and every carb. Just make sure to be an active fan.
If you’ve never made soft pretzels before, please don’t be intimidated. I promise they’re actually pretty simple and easy to make, and the dough is very forgiving. The trickiest part is boiling the pretzels, but it’s really not a huge deal. So please, don’t fear them. You really have to give them a try – soft pretzels are one of my favorites!
Everything starts with the pretzel dough, and the secret here is the pumpkin beer, it adds SO much flavor. Personally, I always think of beer and pretzels together since that’s kind of my dad’s thing when watching football, beer, and those hard sourdough pretzels. So I just combined the flavors and made one seriously delicious soft pretzel. Honestly, these are so good. Soft, doughy, buttery, and with the slightest hints of beer and autumn.
Then just add that chipotle cheddar queso for dipping?
PERFECTION.
Who’s ready for Cheesy Pretzel Thursday? Cool, me too! First up though… I’m off to read all of your comments on what your favorite things about fall are on Instagram!
Pumpkin Beer Pretzels with Chipotle Queso.
Servings: 8 Pretzels
Calories Per Serving: 574 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 cup pumpkin beer or any beer you love
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter melted
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup baking soda for boiling the pretzels
- 1 egg beaten, for brushing before baking
- coarse sea salt or pretzel salt
Chipotle Queso
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 12 ounces sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 chipotle peppers adobo finely minced
Instructions
- Combine the water, brown sugar and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with the dough hook until combined. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Add the beer, melted butter, salt and all-purpose flour to the mixture 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 sides 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. Coat a large bowl with canola 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. This will take about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a flat surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope. To shape into pretzels, take the right side and cross over to the left. Cross right to left again and flip up. Slowly add the baking soda to the boiling water. Boil the pretzels in the water solution, 1-2 at a time for 30 seconds, splashing the tops with the warmed water using a spoon. Remove with a large flat slotted spatula or a spider. Place 4 pretzels on each baking sheet, brush the tops with the egg wash and season liberally with sea salt. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until pretzels are golden brown.
- Meanwhile, make the queso. Add the butter to a large skillet to melt. Add the cream cheese and milk. Cook over medium heat until the sauce is smooth and the cream cheese has melted. In a bowl, toss together the shredded cheddar with the flour. Little by little, add the cheddar to the warm milk, whisking until the sauce is smooth. Stir in the chipotle peppers. Keep the queso warm over warm heat. Serve along side the warm pretzels for dipping. EAT!
Hope you guys have a great first day of fall! 🙂
If you make this Pumpkin Beer Pretzels with Chipotle Queso be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
First time attempting to make pretzels and your recipe is fool proof! I made them into bite sized pretzels and they turned out perfect. I had left over beer and decided to put it in the queso as well as add paprika, cayenne, six chili powder, mustard powder, salt and pepper. OhhhMMMMGGGG was it delicious! I can’t wait to try your other pretzel recipes!
Hi Hailee,
I appreciate you making this recipe and your feedback! So glad it was enjoyed:) Have a great week! xT
I have made this pretzel recipe four times now and it is consistently fantastic. I break up the dough into 16 instead of eight and the bake time is about the same. I’ve used pumpkin beer and imperial IPA to similar results. Just delicious.
Hey Joslyn,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks so much for your feedback and trying the recipe! Happy Thanksgiving! xT
Can you post instructions if you don’t have a mixer?
Made these for our Super Bowl gathering and they were a huge hit! Making my 2nd batch today at my kids’request. Thanks for another family favorite.
Hey Jen,
Happy Monday!!💐 Thank you so much for making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was a winner! xx
Soft pretzels are my favorite kinda of treat but I’ve been terrified to try them because I’m afraid I’ll mess up the yeast part. I finally gave it a shot tonight and these turned out amazing! Awesome recipe, thank you so much!
Hey Amy,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a lot for making it! xT
I made these for a Super Bowl party, and they were a huge hit! The beer adds really great flavor. Instead of making large pretzels, I made them into mini pretzels. That made them harder to fold well but yielded 25 which was great for a party! Will definitely use this recipe again.
Hey Grace,
Happy Valentine’s Day! 💌 I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was tasty! xT
Can I substitute the canola oil with avocado or another kind of oil?
Hey Tessa,
Sure, that will work well for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
Hi! Would it affect the recipe if I omit the beer? Or can I sub in another liquid?If it has a strong beer flavor, I’m afraid my kids won’t like it (though maybe that’s not such a bad thing – more for the parents!). Thanks!
Hey Rachael,
Sparkling cider would be great to use in place of the beer! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
yum. amazing. the best <3
Hey Tori,
Perfect!! I am delighted to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and thanks so much for trying it out! xx
These look amazing and I want to make them for my office potluck party. I am sure that they are best warm, so I am trying to be creative. I am thinking of making them the day before, and then keeping them on a low setting in my air fryer during the potluck (which could last awhile). I could put the cheese in an electric fondue pot and then whenever anyone is ready to eat they will be warm and delicious. Do you think this will work, or do you have any other ideas for potluck preparedness?! Thanks!
Hey Wendy,
Sure, I bet that would all be great to do! I hope this recipe is a hit, let me know how it all turns out for you! xT
Can I mix the dough with my hands? I don’t have a stand mixer.
Hi Natalie,
You are going to want to mix the dough with a wooden spoon and then knead by hand until you have a smooth dough ball. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
Would you recommend a different shape if you are making this for a larger crowd/appetizer?
Hey Liz,
You could make smaller pretzel shapes if you would like:) Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Can I go ahead and shape the pretzels so they are ready to boil and refrigerate overnight? Or should the dough be left in a ball until I am ready to boil?
Hey Emily,
You could go ahead and shape them, just bring them back to room temp before boiling. I hope this recipe turns out well for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xx