Mall Pretzels with 2-Ingredient Horseradish Cream Cheese
If you know me, you know I’m a huge beer lover. And it’s not just me but an entire family affair. Whether we’re posting a picture of a new beer we’re enjoying in the family group text or hitting up a new brewery together (in a pre-pandemic world, of course), our love of beer runs deep in my family.
But to really elevate our love for beer, this year our family decided to partake in a home brew we aptly named the Driveway IPA (as we made it in the driveway of my parents’ house). It was an exciting process that involved beer drinking throughout every step. Naturally, when it was time to tap the keg on our homemade concoction about a month later, I knew we had to make some perfect food to pair with.
And what goes better than beer, if you ask me? Carbs! And cheese! Enter these homemade, mall-style pretzels with a quick, easy and delicious 2-ingredient horseradish cream cheese. Drooling yet?
Admittedly, this was my first attempt at making homemade pretzels and I was very impressed with myself indeed. Taking hints from Auntie Anne herself and then whipping up a quick yet delicious horseradish cream cheese for dipping these buttery, fluffy morsels in, it was the absolute perfect accompaniment to our home brew!
While the process involves a few steps, don’t be intimidated! It’s all rather approachable once you get into the swing of things. And upon first bite, trust me, you’ll agree they are worth every step!
Mall Pretzels with 2-Ingredient Horseradish Cream Cheese
Makes 12 pretzels
Ingredients
For the pretzels:
2 cups whole or 2% milk
8 tablespoons salted butter, divided
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups warm water
1/3 cup baking soda
Flaky sea salt (like Maldon)
For the horseradish cream cheese:
16 oz whipped cream cheese
1/4 cup prepared horseradish
Directions
In a small pot, scald the milk - do not boil just heat the milk until it is hot all of the way through. Add 4 tablespoons butter and sugar to the hot milk. Stir until the butter melts and the sugar has dissolved. Set it aside and cool until just a bit warmer than room temperature. If the milk is too hot the yeast will die; too cold and it won't rise as quickly, so around 100 degrees is ideal. Add the yeast to the top of the milk mixture and allow it to soften for a few minutes.
Using the bread hook attachment on a stand mixer, add in the flour and salt and stir with the hook attachment until completely combined and a smooth ball forms.
Cover the bowl with a clean dish towel and allow it to rise for 1 hour, or until the dough doubles in size.
Punch the dough in the bowl. Turn the ball of dough out onto a cutting board. Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Roll a piece of the dough into a long and very skinny “rope”. Loop the dough in half and then twist the ends together 1-2 times. Pull the ends back over the loop to make the classic pretzel shape, pressing the ends to make them stick.
Whisk together 2 cups of warm water and the baking soda in a shallow dish. Dip the pretzels into the baking soda bath. Flip and dip the other side.
Place the dipped pretzels onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. You should be able to fit 4 on each baking sheet, so you’ll bake them in 3 batches.
Bake the pretzels for 7 to 8 minutes or until golden brown. Melt the remaining butter then brush over the pretzels. Sprinkle them with coarse salt. Serve warm with horseradish cream cheese (recipe below).
Horseradish cream cheese:
In a small bowl, combine whipped cream cheese and horseradish, gentling folding to maintain the whipped texture if you can. Can be made ahead and refrigerated. Garnish with chopped chives and serve!
