“Better than the mall! These cinnamon sugar soft pretzel bites are so soft and chewy! Made with simply ingredients and so easy to make!”

 

Visual learner? Watch me make these cinnamon sugar soft pretzel bites from start to finish!


Have you ever made a delicious recipe, took one bite and instantly realized you had no business making it? Mainly because you knew you  were going to eat the entire thing? That’s exactly how I felt when I made these cinnamon sugar soft pretzel bites. Knowing good and well any type of soft, yeast bread in my weakness, I did it anyway. And when I sunk my teeth into these little fluffy bites, it was on and popping! All restraint went out the window.

Which suck because I was seriously going to start getting my summer body ready. I was going to hit the gym every day and replace breakfast and lunch with smoothies. Plus, make sure I got in all 10,000 daily steps. I blame coronavirus. Yep it has ruined all of that! Maybe next year!

cinnamon sugar soft pretzel bites

Ha! Just kidding….kinda. Being stuck in the house has put me in such a baking mood though! Cooking relaxes me, and my goodness I’ve been baking up a storm. I’ve made banana bread, homemade sandwich bread, and funfetti cupcakes with buttercream frosting! Lawd somebody take these mixing bowls because she is clearly out of control!!

My carb-aholic baking had calmed down for a bit until my sister had the nerve to post cinnamon sugar soft pretzels on Facebook!

I starred at the screen for about 5 minutes, mesmerized by clouds of soft, chewy homemade breadiness.

And so here we are.

Well hello cinnamon sugar soft pretzel bites!

Today we are making cinnamon sugar soft pretzel bites!! And my, my, my, these lil cuties are so awful in all the right ways.

You’ll be sneaking in the kitchen to get one, two, or four more easily. We loved these soft pretzel bites so much that I’ve already made them twice this weekend. They go soooo quick!

Have you ever made homemade cinnamon sugar soft pretzel bites? I’m kicking myself for just now trying the from-scratch version. They were always my favorite at Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, and I have to say I like the homemade version much better! They taste so fresh and yeasty!

cinnamon sugar soft pretzel bites

Should I use bread flour or all-purpose flour?

For this recipe, I use only all-purpose flour, but I hear the best results come from using a combination of half bread flour and half all-purpose flour. Once this pandemic is over and I find bread flour in the stores again, I’ll give it a try. I can’t imagine it tasting any better, though. They are heavenly with just all-purpose flour.

What does a baking soda bath do for pretzels?

You’ll notice that most homemade pretzel recipes require placing the pretzel dough in a baking soda bath. Some recipes use boiling water and some warm water. For these cinnamon sugar soft pretzels, a quick dip in warm baking soda water will do! Baking soda alkalizes the water and gives pretzels that signature taste. It also helps prevent them from fully blooming in the oven. This results in them having that soft, chewy pretzel texture instead of a super fluffy light and airy yeast roll texture.

Do I have to let the pretzel dough rise?

I’ve seen recipes that did both. Some let the dough rise, and others baked the pretzels as soon as the dough was made. I went with just one rise. I tried baking a few without letting the dough rise, and although they were good, the texture was a bit dense for my liking.

What to serve with cinnamon sugar soft pretzel bites?

I was tempted to make a dip for these cinnamon sugar soft pretzels bites, but after experiencing them, I decided they were best left as it! They honestly don’t need a dipping sauce. Still, if you’re determined to submerge these in something sinful, I’d go with chocolate, caramel, or even a fluffy cream cheese dip.

These cinnamon sugar soft pretzels bites are so soft and chewy. The recipe uses simple ingredients, so they are very easy to make and pretty darn quick! They make a great snack, dessert, or even appetizer! Throw them on a platter and watch as they quickly disappear.


 

cinnamon sugar soft pretzel bites

Get the Recipe: Cinnamon Sugar Soft Pretzel Bites

4.45 from 72 ratings
Chewy and addictive cinnamon sugar soft pretzel bites! Easy, from scratch recipe using simple ingredients.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Resting time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 28 minutes
Servings: 50 bites

Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup warm water (120-130 degrees), use a thermometer
  • 1 packet (2¼ teaspoon) rapid rise instant yeast
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • cups all-purpose flour + more for kneading, (see note)

Baking Soda Water Bath

  • 3 cups very hot water
  • 1/4 cup baking soda

Cinnamon Sugar Topping

  • 1 cup granulated sugar, (can use half granulated and half brown if desired)
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup salted butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
 

Proof The Yeast

  • Add water, granulated sugar and yeast to a 2-cup glass measuring cup or bowl. Stir.
  • Let yeast sit until it is poofy.
  • Pour yeast into a large bowl

Make The Dough

  • To the bowl, stir in brown sugar, oil and salt.
  • Gradually stir in flour until a dough forms.
  • Flour a work surface and turn the dough onto the flour surface.
  • Flour your hands and knead the dough, adding flour a little at a time if needed (dough she be slightly sticky)
  • Knead dough for 5 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic.
  • Lightly grease a large bowl and place the dough into the bowl, flipping it once so that all sides are lightly coated with oil.
  • Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft-free location. ( I like to place in the oven with the pilot light one.)
  • Let dough rise for 1 hour.
  • Once dough has risen, punch the dough down to remove the air.
  • Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • Divide dough into two equal parts.
  • Working with one part at a time, pinch off about 25 small sections of dough and roll into a ball. Repeat with the other part. Set aside.
  • In a bowl stir together warm water and baking soda until baking soda has dissolved.
  • Dip each dough ball into the water, letting excess drip off and then place on the prepared pan.
  • Bake for 8 minutes or until golden.
  • While pretzels are baking, in one bowl stir together the sugar and cinnamon.
  • In another bowl stir together the melted butter and vanilla extract.
  • Remove pretzels from over and allot o cool slighlty.
  • Using a slotted spoon and working in small batches (about 3 bites at a time) dip the pretzels in butter. Remove from butter and let excess drip off.
  • Immediately place pretzels in the cinnamon sugar mixture and toss to coat.
  • Serve immediately

Video

Notes

*If possible use half bread flour and half all-purpose flour for best texture! I used all purpose flour  due to limited grocery inventory and it was still amazing!
 
 
Cuisine: American
Course: Appetizer, Dessert, Snack
Tried this recipe?Mention @divascancook on Instagram or tag #divascancook.
Recipe slightly adapted from Lil Luna!