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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!
Recipe turned out amazing!!! Definitely making it again ? super easy and delicious
Hey Nicole,
Thanks a lot for trying out this recipe. I love to hear that it was enjoyed and hope you have the best week! xTieghan
These were delicious! I did not use a mixer; just did it all by hand. I used non-alcoholic beer and also halved the recipe since it was just for me with a few to have later. I will make this again, and wonder if the water with the baking soda can be reused for another batch or will I need to start fresh?
Also, my queso wasn’t as thick as I’d like, so I am looking for tips on improving this as well.
Thank you.
Hey Jeri,
Happy Friday! I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! You will want to use fresh water and baking soda. xxTieghan
Hi!
Hoping to make these for a charcuterie board – would this work if I made smaller pretzels or pretzel bites? Do you have any suggestions on changing cooking time at all? Thanks so much!!
Hey Loren,
Sure, I bet that would be great! I am honestly not sure on the cooking time as I have not tested this. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi Loren,
Did you end up making this recipe as bites? I want to make them this weekend and prefer to make them smaller and would love to know your experience. Thanks
What can I use in place of beer?
Hey there,
You can use sparkling cider or sparkling water in place of the beer. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Can this recipe be doubled? My family loves them too much!
Hey Carol,
Totally! So glad this recipe has been popular with your family! xTieghan
These were absolutely delicious!! We used Elysian Night Owl pumpkin ale as our beer (highly recommended!). I’ve never made queso with this technique before but it came out great (and also reheated well the next day when gently heated on the stove). I forgot the egg wash but they still looked cute!
Hey Julia,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
I know this is an old recipe but I had to comment! I started making these last fall and now we always have some on hand! I usually double the recipe and freeze half. We just use whatever beer we have and it’s great whether we use cheap PBR or a pricey IPA. Seriously the best!
Hey Megan,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for making it. Happy Sunday! ☀️Tieghan
I had a lot of fun making this recipe, especially twisting up the pretzels. The cheese dip wasn’t my favorite but I think that’s a personal preference. Next time I’ll cook the pretzels for a little longer because they didn’t have that crisp outer layer that I like. Overall pretzels were a big hit!
Hey Aisling,
Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I am delighted it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
These were super easy and fun to make! Wish I’d cooked them a little longer to brown them a bit more, but they were still delicious! I liked the queso flavor!
Hey Jenny,
Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I am delighted it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
I have to stop and say that this is my favorite pretzel recipe and has been for years now. I first used this to make homemade pretzel dogs and shoved them full of cheese and a Good hot dog or brat! It has never failed me! Thank you so very much for such a great recipe!
Hey Heather,
I so appreciate you giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Amazing!!
Thanks Hayley!
These were so soft and delicious! Even my 3 year old enjoyed, which is quite a feat! Another great recipe, thank you!
Hey Christine,
I am so glad you liked the recipe, thanks for giving it a go! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
I can’t wait to make these but I am gluten free so I need to sub out gluten free flour. How many grams of flour are you using? When subbing to gluten free especially I need to use weight not measurement. So excited to make these, I’ve been wanting to forever!! Thank you fir being such a incredible recipe resource, I swear 80% of what I make is off of your site
Hey Gabrielle,
You will want to use an equal amount of GF flour. You will want to use 548 grams of flour. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This recipe is amazing! It was my first time making pretzels and they turned out great! However, mine got super stuck to the pan. Any tips?!
Hey Liz,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe, so sorry your pretzels stuck to the pan, next time try spraying the baking sheet. I hope this helps! xTieghan
I made these, it was exciting to make pretzels! Question: can I freeze the dough after it rises?
Thanks!
Hey Stacey,
Thank you so very much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it worked out for you! Boiling, baking and then freezing works great! Just warm the pretzels in the oven or the microwave. I would not boil, then freeze because the dough is too sticky at that point. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thank you! Happy New Year! xTieghan