Hello again! It’s Alicia from The Baker Upstairs, and I have another delicious treat to share with you today. These cinnamon sugar soft pretzels are so soft and chewy, buttery and sweet, and amazingly delicious! They are one of my family’s favorite treats, and I’m excited to share the recipe with you!
When I was in high school, one of my first jobs was working in the china and crystal department at a big department store in the mall. I helped brides choose their registry items, watched people endlessly debate about one flatware set versus another, and sold crystal vases worth more than my car. 🙂 It was a pretty fun job most of the time, but there were times when it was incredibly slow. Sometimes a whole hour would pass without any customers coming into my area, and by the time I had worked there a couple of months, I had the entire tape of music that was played over the PA system memorized. One of the bright spots on a slow night was my break, when I would walk down to the mall food court and buy a soft pretzel and a soda.
Maybe it was just because I was a teenager working for the first time, and relishing the independence it provided, but I swear, nothing had ever tasted as good as those pretzels. They were fresh from the oven, buttery and hot, and so delicious! It was always a really tough choice to decide between a hot salted pretzel with cheese sauce, or a warm and sweet cinnamon sugar pretzel. I loved them both! These cinnamon sugar soft pretzels remind me of those lovely pretzels I enjoyed from the mall all those years ago, but they’re even better because they’re homemade! These days, I bake them with my children, and get to see the joy on their faces as they discover how delicious a hot pretzel can be.
I adapted these pretzels slightly from my favorite soft pretzel recipe, and they turned out so fantastic! They’re simple and quick to make, and are perfect when they’re fresh from the oven.
We LOVE cinnamon! Here’s a few of our favourite recipes. Don’t forget to save them to your favourite Pinterest boards:
Cinnamon Streusel Banana Bread
How to Make Cinnamon Sugar Soft Pretzels
The full recipe is at the bottom of this point, but here’s what you’ll need:
- milk
- yeast
- brown sugar
- butter
- salt
- flour
- baking soda
- cinnamon sugar
You’ll start by dissolving the yeast in the milk, then adding sugar, butter, salt, and flour to make a soft pretzel dough. Be careful not to add too much flour, because you’ll want the dough to be soft and pliable. Place the dough in a greased bowl to rise, then go do something fun for an hour. 🙂
I love coming back to a big plump mound of dough. I make a ton of bread, and it still feels like magic every single time!
Divide the dough into twelve equal sized pieces…
…and then roll each piece into a long skinny rope. Next, twist each rope into a pretzel shape. I will admit here that I am not the greatest at shaping pretzels, but guess what? They turn out delicious either way!
They’ll have a quick dip in a warm water and baking soda bath, then they’ll go into the oven to bake. Pull them out when they’re golden brown and beautiful.
Next, you’ll brush the pretzels with melted butter, then roll them in a sweet cinnamon sugar mixture.
The pretzels are chewy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, and they have the perfect touch of sweetness from the cinnamon sugar. They’re perfect for a simple dessert, an after-school snack, or even for a game day party! My kids absolutely adore these pretzels and cheer every time I make them. They are definitely one of our favorite treats!
These pretzels are best within the first 24 hours, so make sure to eat them quickly. Considering how delicious they are, though, I doubt that will be a problem. Just make them once, and you will be totally hooked!
Cinnamon Sugar Soft Pretzels Recipe
Ingredients
for the pretzels:
- 2 cups warm milk
- 1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
- 1/4 cup Brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 4 1/2 cups Flour more or less as needed
for the topping:
- 1/3 cup Baking soda
- 3 cups Warm water
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk. When the mixture is bubbly, mix in the brown sugar, butter, one cup flour, and salt, and mix until combined.
- Add the remaining flour, one cup at a time, and mix until a smooth and slightly sticky dough forms. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise about one hour, until doubled in size.
- After the dough has risen, preheat the oven to 450. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Divide the dough into twelve equal sized pieces, and roll each piece into a long skinny rope. Twist into a pretzel shape.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the warm water and baking soda until dissolved. Dip each pretzel into the baking soda mixture and place on the prepared baking sheets. Bake 7 to 11 minutes, or until golden brown.
- In a shallow dish, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon. Brush the pretzels with melted butter, then dip them in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
These cinnamon sugar soft pretzels are simple and quick to make, and so delicious! Perfect for game day, snacks, or any time you need a sweet treat!
Sheilla says
Is the dough need to be kneaded or we’re good with just mixing all the ingredient?
Hannah says
salted butter or unsalted butter?
Karine Gautherie says
Excellent recipe! First try has been a success.
Brie says
These turned out really well! I had to add a little more flour to make the dough workable, and I also floured my work surface when rolling out my pretzels. I found the dough to be extremely sticky for some reason, as measured following the directions above. Besides that, they turned out great.
Jeff says
I made these today and they have a distinctly unpleasant baking soda aftertaste. It doesn’t specify in the instructions, but aren’t you supposed to pat down the dough with a paper towel after you dip them in the baking soda solution? I’ve seen similar recipes do that.
Cindy says
I made these for my sister and she loved them! They were so fluffy and easy to pull apart, I was so proud of how they came out. I did end up having to use about a cup more of flour because the mix kept sticking to my hands but hands down the best recipe to follow, so easy and very explanatory. This made baking so fun for me.
Mo says
Made these today. For those that do not know, 1 1/2 tablespoons yeast is 2 packets of the dry active yeast. They came out fantastic. I actually forgot to put the water+baking soda on one batch of them. It does not change much but the baking soda+ water gives it a crispier top texture. Honestly this is amazing. I did not crank the oven up that high and I baked them at 410 degrees. ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!! TRY IT AND YOU’LL LOVE IT.
Emma says
What butter did you use ? x and did you use plain flour and light brown sugar
Trish says
I couldn’t make the pretzels perfect , but it tasted so good. My family loved them.
Gia says
Really good recipe. For those that need to know, there are about 4,079 calories in the whole recipe which means there is a little less than 340 calories in each pretzel if divided evenly into 12 pieces.
Stephanie Sanchez says
Hi there I want to make these fresh for a morning delivery, does it matter if I make the dough the night before and dip and bake in the morning?