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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!
These are so good!!! Been wanting to make them for like 5 years and finally did!
Hi Sarah,
Happy Monday!! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your review, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have a great week! xx
Hey Tieghan
We made a soft pretzel recipe of yours three years ago and I can’t seem to find it. It’s like this one but it had a beer cheese dip. Did you take it down? Do you know which one I’m looking for?
Thanks
Michelle
Hey Michelle,
I am working on revamping a few older recipes…stay tuned:) xx
Hi! I am wondering if I can substitute gluten free flour and xanthan gum for the all purpose flour?
And also how much xanthan gum you recommend to the 3.5 cups of flour?
To be honest, I’ve never worked with xanthan gum, so I really have no idea, you could just use the gluten free flour on its own:) xx
Hi Ashley,
Sure, you could use an equal amount of gluten free flour in this recipe:) Let me know if you give it a try, I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
They came out great! I learned a lot about gluten free vegan baking that’s for sure. I made them for some friends who are both vegan and gluten free. The first batch I used the wrong flour. Once o got that figured out m, the rest was easy. I followed everything else to a T and just sealed the ingredients out 1 for 1. Honestly, couldn’t tell the difference, even in the cheese dip! Thank you! Looking forward to do the regular recipe for myself!
Hey Ashley,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks for sharing your feedback and making this recipe, I am so glad it was a hit! Happy 4th of July!??
Second time I have made these pretzels!! Since I can’t find pumpkin beer in January, I substituted Goose Island Christmas IPA, which is one of my favorite winter beers. I made them to dip in your healthier cheddar broccoli soup with the cauliflower puree and it was a great meal! Thanks again!
Hey Em,
Happy Friday!! Love hearing that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xxT
I’ve been making this recipe weekly for my kids. I’ve tried fancy beers but honestly the best yet has been with Miller Lite!
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it. Have the best week! xTieghan
I wasn’t the best at shaping and boiling these, but man were they worth all the effort! Absolutely delicious and my family now pester me all the time to make them again.
Hey Anna,
Thanks you so very much for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
How would you recommend storing and transporting these? I’m making them on Christmas morning and then need to bring them to family over an hour away!
Hi Hayley,
I would just keep in an airtight container. I hope you love the recipe, happy holidays! xTieghan
Could the dough sit in the bowl longer than an hour? Like 5 hours or overnight?
Hey Megan,
You bet! That will work well for you. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I used hard cider instead of beer as I don’t like the taste of beer and the pretzels were great! Time consuming but tasty. The cheese sauce was a bit soupy and bland but was easy to add more spices to abs firmed up overnight.
Hi Courtney,
Wonderful!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have a great weekend! xTieghan
I’m making these to go with the apple cheese beer soup! I want to make ahead of time bc I have ppl coming over. How would you suggest warming them up so they taste warm and fresh? Thx!!!
Hi there! I would just heat them in the oven or microwave! xTieghan
These look amazing ?can’t wait to make them! Can I substitute the active yeast for instant fast acting yeast?
Sure, that should work just fine! xTieghan
This might sound silly, but what can I substitute for beer? We’re a non-alcoholic family and I’d love to make this but need something other than pumpkin beer. Thanks.
Hi there! You could use Apple Cider or Seltzer Water 🙂 xTieghan
How long can you store these once they’re baked? 🙂 made these tonight and they are AMAZING
Hi there! I would say 2-3 days! Or you could probably even freeze them and reheat them when you want to eat again! 🙂 xTieghan
Question? I really want to make these pretzels but there are just 2 of us so 8 pretzels would be a lot. I was wondering if you could freeze some either before or after baking?
Hi there! I would boil in the baking soda and then freeze! Then when you want to eat them, follow the instructions for baking 🙂 xTieghan
Sooo good!! & perfect for this time of year! Just made them for the first time & they were delicious. As always you never disappoint with your recipes. – love caroline
Hi there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Easy to make and so yummy!