Next Post
Brown Butter Maple Glazed Cinnamon Apple Scones.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
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!
This post was originally published on September 22, 2016
Can you make this ahead of time? was thinking of making this for my work potluck but would have to make it the night before. would the queso be ok to reheat?
Can you make the dough a day in advance or will that mess with the rise?
Just making this now and the prep time does not include the hour for the dough to rise. You might want to add that.
Thank you Ali! xTieghan
Can I make the pretzels without the beer? What could I substitute for the beer? Thanks!
HI Kristin! You can use an equal amount of water in place of the beer. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Just curious how the recipe would change if we wanted to exclude the beer. Thanks!
Hey Alexa! Just replace the beer with an equal amount of water. You loose a little flavor, but the pretzels are still delicious! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
What if you don’t have a stand mixer?
Hi there! Just use a large mixing bowl and mix with a spatula until the dough comes together. Let me know if you have questions. Thank you!
Made these so many times and my family loved them! Quick question, do you think these would keep baked for 24 hours till it was time to serve? Thanks!
Hi there! These keep really well if kept in a sealed container or ziplock bag. I would warm them slightly before serving. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I am so glad you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Would it turn out ok to make the dough the night before and let rest in the fridge overnight/next day? I am hosting guests and would like to do a little work on the day-of as possible.
Hey Lauren! Yes, you can make the dough the night before and keep in the fridge. I recommend removing the dough from the fridge 30 minutes to an hour before you are ready to shape the pretzels. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I’m so excited to make these but do have a question – does the beer need to be cold or room temp or does it not matter?
Thank you!
HI! I recommend using room temp beer! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Hi! I’ve made these pretzels before and they are fantastic. Question about the queso- how much chipotle chili peppers? The recipe says 2 in so just clarifying! Thanks for a great recipe!
HI! You need 2 chipotle peppers in adobo (not the whole can, just 2 peppers). Please let me know if you have any other questions. So glad you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I just made these and they are seriously the best pretzels I’ve ever had — and I used to work at a soft pretzel bakery!! So light and fluffy. Unfortunately I didn’t make the queso dip but I ate them with german mustard and they were just prefect.
I am so glad you loved this! Thank you so much Elke!
Tieghan,
I made these the other night (like Saturday) and they were fantastic AND so simple to make! Tonight (less than a week since I first made them) I made them AGAIN! I did not have any more pumpkin beer but made them with regular beer. I’m sure they will be just as good! I’m taking them to work so I made smaller pretzels tonight and got 16 out of the batch.
Now I’m ready to conquer bagels… do you have a simple bagel recipe?
Thanks and keep up the great recipes!!
Hi Mimi! I am so glad you are loving this recipe and hope it turns out just as good with regular beer! I do have a bagel recipe and one especially for candy cane bagels, if you want to make them! I hope you love them!
https://fett-weg.today/candy-cane-bagels/#bo-recipe%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Hey! Can you use bread flour instead of all-purpose if you’re adding the packet of yeast? Or would they not rise as much.
Thanks!
Hey Mel! Bread flour will be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thanks! xTieghan
I made these!! They turned out great! They were warm, bready and delicious. I dipped them in melted butter – yum!! I usually find that my homemade bread is a bit bland and I never knew how to fix that but these were tasty. We don’t salt our food too much so with the amount of salt I sprinkled on I found that it was too salty. Maybe boiling in baking soda also added to the saltiness but they were delicious all the same – I’ll just be conservative with the salt next time. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
I am so happy to hear that Tricia! I am so glad you loved this recipe! Thank you!
Forgot to give it 5 stars…..oops!