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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 HBHÂ 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!
Best soft pretzel recipe ever! Dough is perfect and easy to shape. Works great with all kinds of beer!
Hi there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xTieghan
I am absolutely OBSESSED with HBH recipes! Every single thing I’ve tried has been a huge hit. And then last night I tried these pretzels, and at the twisting/boiling stage, I thought, “ok, my first fail, clearly pretzel twisting is above my pay grade.” But I pushed through my panic attack and threw my sad, blobby-looking lumps of dough into the oven anyway.
They came out AMAZING!! Even sorta looked like pretzels! And the cheese sauce? OMG. (Instead of milk, I used just a splash of cream and the rest of the pumpkin beer because, you know, beer+cheese…) Hubby and friends came home soaking wet and freezing after 24 hours on a sailboat in October, and they said it was the best thing ever! Thank you, this is a total keeper!
I made these for a chili cook off this weekend, I used instant yeast and turned them into bites instead of full pretzels. Very easy – they came out AMAZING, everyone raved about these!
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, so happy to hear you enjoyed it! xTieghan
Mine turned out great! Well, the taste but not so much the pretzel shape. Lol The cheese sauce was great too! Thanks!
Excellent! Used New Belgium voodoo ranger Atomic Pumpkin beer.The dough nice and fluffy. Will make theses again. The cheeses cause very good too!
First time-making pretzels. This recipe was so easy to make. Looking forward to trying other pretzel recipes.
Hey Sara,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thank you so much for making it! xTieghan
Pretzels came out amazing! And they really were pretty easy – took some time – but not tricky at all – easy to follow – and so satisfying!
Hey Kaitlyn,
Awesome!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
love the flavor used an autumn beer and barley malt syrup instead of brown sugar – they were devoured – what brand of pretzel salt do you use – seems to be conflicting reviews on Amazon – thanks! planning on cider ones this weekend.
Hi Diane,
Fantastic!! So great to hear that you enjoyed this recipe and thanks a lot for making it. Here is the link for the pretzel salt that I use:
https://shopstyle.it/l/bxQMt
Have a great week!? xTieghan
these came out MARVELOUS!!!! thank you!!!
Hey Selena,
Happy Sunday! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner. Thanks a lot for giving it a try! xTieghan
Would you be able to pre-make the dough in the morning and then boil and bake in the afternoon? Does that mess with the proofing? Would you recommend keeping on the counter or putting in fridge?
Hey Sarah,
Totally fine to make the dough in the morning, I would just keep it covered on the counter until you are ready to use. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Sarah – can you comment on how keeping them on the counter worked out – I would have though to refrigerate so they don’t rise too much.. thanks!
Can’t wait to try! Does it matter if you use fast/instant yeast vs. regular active dry?
Hey Katie,
Any of those options will work well for you, just be sure to follow the instructions for proofing. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I am wondering how to use instant yeast as well!
Hi Nora,
You can just mix the instant yeast in with the flour, no need to mix it prior and allowing it to become bubbly. I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
Absolutely shocked how easy these were to make and sooooo delicious! Will def be making these again, Game Day Favorite!
Hey Danielle,
Happy Monday! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xTieghan
Can you use a dairy free milk for the queso?
Hey Brooke,
Sure, that will be just fine to do. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I made these with an amber ale instead of pumpkin and dark brown sugar instead of light, since it was what I had on hand – big hit! I’ll be saving this recipe for years to come. Thanks, Tieghan!
Hey Jennifer,
Happy Sunday! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
I dont want to use beer what can use instead
Hey Karen,
Sparkling cider will also work well here. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
So excited to try!! Do you know what the time would be if baking them inside of an Air Fryer?
Hey Hayley,
Sorry, I have not tested this recipe in an air fryer, so I am unsure of the results. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try! xTieghan