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Honey Butter Soft Pretzel Candy Canes: These buttery soft pretzel rolls are made with salty-sweet honey butter brushed over each soft roll. Serve these soft pretzels candy cane rolls warm, right from the oven. These are quick and simple dinner rolls made using flour, salt, instant yeast, butter, honey, and an egg. They’re made in under two hours with very little fuss! The perfect rolls for all of your upcoming holiday dinner parties. PS. Enjoy any leftover rolls for breakfast!
I just scrolled back through the recipes I shared in December 2012 and 2013. Wow, what a trip down memory lane. I used to look back at old content, cringe, and feel embarrassed, but now I LOVE it. To be honest, I miss those early days! I really didn’t have any fear. What a special time!
I thought I might have shared a soft pretzel roll similar to today’s recipe. But it turns out that I haven’t! Candy Cane Cinnamon Rolls? Yes, I have done those!
My original idea for these rolls was to twist my soft pretzel dough into cute holiday bows. That turned out to be way too tricky! I quickly pivoted into twists, which I then shaped into candy canes.
EASY! And we’re all certainly here for easy right now. But these sure are good! Without a doubt, I’ll be serving these for Christmas Eve dinner. My mom is already obsessed with them.
Here are the details
Ingredients
- flour
- instant yeast
- salt
- honey
- salted butter
- an egg yolk
Special Tools
Preferably a stand mixer with a dough hook, plus baking sheets and a slotted spoon.
These rolls are easiest when you have a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. The mixer can do all the work for you! If you don’t have a mixer, you can knead the dough with your hands instead. You’ll just have to use a little more arm strength!
Step 1: make the soft pretzel dough
In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix all the dry ingredients: flour, instant yeast, and salt. Then, add warm water, honey, and softened or melted butter.
What’s so nice about using instant yeast is that it allows you to skip the first rise and go almost directly to baking.
Mix the dough with the dough hook until it forms a smooth ball. Now cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
Step 2: roll the dough out
Now, we can immediately move on to rolling out the dough.
On a floured counter, divide the dough in half, then divide each half into eight dough balls. Roll the dough balls into a total of 16 ropes, each one about 1 foot long. Twist two ropes together, then shape into a candy cane.
Arrange each on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Use two baking sheets.
Step 3: boil the pretzels
In true soft pretzel form, we have to boil these in water. Promise it’s easy.
Boil each roll for 3 minutes, then use a slotted spoon to pull the rolls out of the water. Arrange the pretzel rolls over two parchment-lined baking sheets, shaping them back into a candy cane as you go.
Step 4: bake the rolls!
The final step is to bake. These only take around 20 minutes, so they bake up fast!
Step 5: the honey butter
Literally salted butter and honey mixed together. Brush the warm rolls with lots of honey butter, then bake for another minute.
As they bake, you’ll smell that wonderful smell of pretzels, butter, and honey in the air. I can’t quite explain it, but it’s wonderful.
These pretzel rolls are SO GOOD every time. Make these for your holiday dinners this week and next! They’re perfectly cute and festive for a dinner party! They’re also great to eat for breakfast the next morning. I just know you and your guests will love them!
Looking for other holiday bread recipes? Try these.
Salted Honey Butter Parker House Rolls
Perfect Popovers with Cranberry Butter
Pull-Apart Garlic Butter Bread Wreath
Salted Rosemary Popovers with Honey Butter
Parmesan Popovers with Crispy Sage Garlic Butter
Lastly, if you make these Honey Butter Soft Pretzel Candy Canes, 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!
Honey Butter Soft Pretzel Candy Canes
Servings: 8 rolls
Calories Per Serving: 480 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 3/4 cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 stick salted butter, at room temperature or melted
- 1 egg yolk, beaten, with 1 tablespoon water (for brushing onto pretzels before baking)
- 1/4 cup baking soda, for boiling
- pretzel salt, for sprinkling
Honey Butter
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons honey
Instructions
- 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, yeast, and salt. Add the warm water, honey, and butter. Using the dough hook, mix until the flour is completely incorporated, about 4-5 minutes. If the dough seems sticky, add a 1/4 cup of flour at a time. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes or up to 1 hour.2. Preheat the oven to 425°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.3. Punch the dough down and divide it in half. Divide each dough into 8 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough balls into ropes about 8-12 inches long. Working with two ropes, twist them around each other. Shape the twists into a candy cane and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining ropes. Cover and let the rolls rise for 15 minutes until puffy. 4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the baking soda. Lower 2 rolls at a time into the water. Boil for 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the rolls from the pot, letting the water drain. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. 5. If needed, reshape the rolls back into candy canes. Brush each roll with the beaten egg yolk. Sprinkle with pretzel salt. Bake the rolls for 22-25 minutes until golden. 6. To make the honey butter. Combine the butter and honey together in a small bowl. Remove the rolls from the oven and brush with honey butter. Bake for 1-2 minutes more. Serve warm!
Notes
To Bake and Freeze: bake the rolls as directed and let cool completely. Wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw and warm before serving.
To Use Active Dry Yeast: Mix 1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) of active dry yeast with warm water and honey. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until bubbly and foamy on top. Add the flour and follow the directions as listed for the remainder of the recipe.
This post was originally published on December 19, 2024
Hi I really want to make these but don’t have a stand mixer or a dough hook. Any suggestions??
Hi Erica,
No worries, just mix with a wooden spoon and knead by hand until you have a smooth dough ball.
I hope you love this recipe!
I’m a big fan of your work but disappointed with this recipe. Boiling for 3 minutes just turned these to a rubbery mess with a heavy metallic taste. I wish I would have googled typical boiling time for pretzels first (30 seconds) and it would have saved me…. because I think the dough was great.
Hey Pam! I am so sorry you didn’t enjoy these pretzels! I really appreciate the input! xT
These are great but the second time I made them I accidentally mixed the egg yolk into the dough and they were kinda ruined (too soft). Could you add parentheses to the recipe indicating that the yolk is for brushing and not for mixing into the dough? For us stupid people in the back haha
Hey Claire! Oh no I am so sorry for the confusion! Thanks for the heads up, I’ll definitely change this recipe to clarify better! 🙂 xT
I made these twice over Christmas week and once more this past Monday for our first snow day. The first 2 times I did not boil the rolls so they were a dinner roll and after boiling them when I made them the third time, I prefer them as rolls. The honey butter is divine! such a nice dough to work with. We did make 16 smaller candy canes
This is also the recipe I used to break in my new stand mixer!
Hi Colette,
Happy Thursday! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your feedback, love to hear it turned out nicely for you! XxT
These were pefect!
Thanks so much, Kim! Love to hear this recipe was enjoyed! xT
Hi,
For the yeast, my packets are 8g, which is more than 2 1/2 teaspoons… I just wanted to check that those measurements are correct… are my packets just bigger?!
Hi Hannah,
Yes, you will just want to use 2 1/4 teaspoons for this recipe, your packets must just be bigger. Please let me know if I can help in any other way! Happy New Year! xx
Do you really mean boil 3 minutes? I was so excited to make these for Christmas dinner, and I followed your instructions closely. But the dough broke into little pieces and got rubbery when boiled that long. I had never made pretzel rolls before and now realize most recipes say to boil about 30 seconds.
Hi Janet,
Thanks for trying this recipe, I am so sorry to hear you had issues! Yes, I boiled for 3 minutes…was there anything you may have adjusted in the recipe? Was the water already at a boil? Let me know how I can help! xx
Yes, the water was boiling before I added them. I don’t have much experience with bread dough, so it may have been too sticky. I did add extra flour and it rose nicely, but it didn’t seem quite as firm as yours in the video when I divided the two halves into sections. After the boiling catastrophe, I just did the egg wash to the rest and baked them, and everyone loved them! 🙂
Okay, glad to hear they tasted good:) Pretzels can be a bit of a learning curve. Thanks so much for trying the recipe!
I found it easier to remove them from the water using both a slotted spoon and a ravioli spoon (preferably 2 ravioli but I only have one)
Very yummy! I baked a few with cinnamon and sugar in addition to salt. Next time I will twist them tighter but definitely easy and delish!
Thanks so much, Joni! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, I appreciate you making it! Happy Holidays! xx
Can u use rapid rise instant yeast for this receipt and can u make 2 days in advance
Hey Donna! Yes, you can absolutely use instant yeast! I would say these are definitely most delicious if they are made and consumed within the day of making them 🙂 xT
Can you substitute egg for something else? Egg allergy. Thanks!
Hey Jenny! Hmm I wonder if flax egg would work as a sub! xT
If I wanted to prep them in the morning and bake them at dinner, which step would I stop at and then resume? Thank you!
Hi Lisa,
You could stop after step 4 and then bake as directed for dinner. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xT
Got the email and baked them immediately. So yummy! Mine only needed 18 mins but they are so yummy! A perfect addition to my Christmas goodies basket
Thanks so much, Taylor:) Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Merry Christmas! xT
Hi! If I don’t have a stand up mixer/dough hook, any suggestions on how to possibly adjust and use a hand held mixer or other tool? Hoping to try making these this weekend…Thank you!
Hi Melissa,
No worries, you can mix with a wooden spoon and knead by hand until you have a smooth dough ball. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
So cute! Great idea. 😊 xx
Thanks so much, Kelly-Jane! Merry Christmas! xT