Tag Archive | pretzels

Halloween Crack

Oct13

Halloween Crack platedFall is truly my favorite time of the year. With Halloween and Thanksgiving just around the corner, sweaters are pulled out of closets, apples are plucked from trees, pumpkins displayed on the front stoop, and I’m whipping up batches of Halloween Crack. Wait, what?!?! Yep, you heard me right. Okay, it’s actually a delicious party mix made of pretzels, M&M’s, peanuts, and other ingredients, all tossed in a homemade toffee concoction but it’s so decadent and addictive that it’s now better known as Halloween Crack. You’ll understand when you grab your first handful. Just trust me. This recipe was given to me by one of my Mom’s friends who used to make it for parties and it was a guarantee that anyone who tasted it had to have the recipe. This is one of those fall recipes that can’t be beat and should definitely make an appearance at your next Halloween or fall party!

Halloween Crack
Yields 16 cups

Important Note: You can swap out and adjust the ingredients to suit your taste. For example, instead of peanut butter sandwiches try using mini Oreos, instead of plain M&M’s try peanut or almond. There are lots of fun and yummy options!

  • 1 package miniature pretzels or pretzel sticks (11 oz)
  • 1 package miniature peanut butter sandwiches (8 oz)
  • 1 cup dry roasted peanuts
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup butter
  • ½ cup light corn syrup
  • 2 Tablespoons Vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 package plain M&M (10 oz)
  • 1 package candy corn (15 oz)

Directions: 

1. In a large bowl, mix pretzels, crackers, and peanuts. Set aside. Preheat oven to 250°.

2. Using a dutch oven or a large pot with high sides, combine sugar, butter, and corn syrup. Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.

butter, corn syrup, sugar.

Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and baking soda. Note: The mixture will foam up, hence using a pan with high sides to prevent bubbling over. 

butter, corn syrup, sugar with vanilla and baking soda

3. Pour hot mixture over the pretzels, crackers and peanuts and gently stir until coated.

 

Toffee over pretzels

 

Pour onto a large greased jellyroll or roasting pan.

Pretzel mixture in baking pan

4. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring every 12 minutes. Remove from oven and, while still warm, break apart any big chunks of the mixture. Toss with M&M’s & candy corn.

Added M&M's and candy corn

Allow mixture to cool completely before serving or store in an air tight container to enjoy later.

Finished mixture in a bowl

Soft Baked Pretzels

Aug1

iPretzelsOne of the few ways anyone can get me to step foot inside a mall is with the promise of a pretzel. I love fresh-baked pretzels cause they’re soft, salty, and buttery and reminiscent of my childhood growing up in Germany. A few years back, I bought a pack of the frozen pretzels that you bake at home and was so sorely disappointed that I scoured the internet for recipes to make them myself and discovered that hey, they’re not tricky at all! I just always assumed making your own pretzels was some ridiculous undertaking so never thought to try it. After trying a few recipes and tweaking here and there, this recipe is now my go-to.These are great for picnics, sporting events, or to pull apart and dip into soup or cheese sauce. You can even form them into rolls instead of pretzels for making pulled pork sandwiches.

**Directions for using either a bread machine or making by hand are included below.**

Soft Baked Pretzels
Makes 12 pretzels

Ingredients: 

Dough:

  • 2 packets of active dry yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons)
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 1/4 cups warm water
  • 5 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Brine Bath

  • 1/2 cup baking soda
  • 4 cups hot water

Topping

  • 1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter

Bread Machine Directions for Dough:

1. Combine ingredients in the pan of a bread machine according to your machine’s instructions.

2. Set to dough and complete cycle, allowing it to rise once.

risen dough

3. Continue below “By Hand Directions” for next steps.

By Hand Directions for Dough:

1. In a small bowl, combine warm water, yeast, and one teaspoon of sugar. Mix together and let stand for 10 minutes. Yeast will activate and get frothy.

2. In a separate large bowl, combine remaining sugar and rest of dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and pour the yeast mixture and oil in. Mix to form dough and knead until smooth, approximately 10 minutes.

3. Spray a bowl with cooking spray or lightly oil, place the dough in the bowl, making sure to coat the whole ball with oil. Allow to rise in a warm place until doubled, approximately an hour.

Directions continued for either making “By Hand” or “Bread Machine”:

4. Pour dough onto a floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Using your hands, roll each piece into a long rope and form into a pretzel shape. Use a little bit of water to seal the seams together.

dough rolled into pretzels

5. Preheat oven to 425°F. Combine baking soda and water in a large pan and place on high. When mixture is boiling, turn off the heat and, using a slotted spatula, submerge each pretzel completely and place on a greased baking sheet.

submerge into brine

 

Ready to go in the oven

6. Sprinkle pretzels with kosher salt and bake in preheated oven for 6-8 minutes or until you dark golden brown.

Out of oven

Brush each pretzel with melted butter and transfer pretzels to a cooling rack. Serve warm.

Buttered pretzels