Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels

Do you ever buy something and think, “I could make this!”  That’s how I felt the first time Hubs brought home a bag of Dot’s Cinnamon-Sugar Pretzels. 

Well first I was skeptical. I love the original Dot’s and just wasn’t convinced with this version.  Hubs talked me into trying them and I was hooked!  These are the perfect balance of salty-sweet and almost give off a churro vibe.  So delicious.  

And yet…

I mean it’s a cinnamon-sugar pretzel, surely I could make these at home, right?

So I started searching for recipes and while there were a few around the blogoverse, there were fewer than I expected.  I landed on this one, made them and they were perfect.  They tasted just like Dot’s!  Then the sugar started to fall off.  First just a little, but by the next day nearly all of the cinnamon-sugar was in a pile at the bottom of my bowl.  Sadness.

Delicious...all the sugar fell off immediately after the pic

So I put my thinking cap back on.  That original recipe called for vegetable oil and I wasn’t very psyched about it, but trusted the process.  My gut told me that butter might be the solution, so that was my next try.

Ladies and Gents, butter is the winner.  The butter bonds with the sugar and helps create a candy shell in the oven.  While it does give a slightly caramely flavor, it is still delicious and worth it since the cinnamon-sugar stays on the pretzels.

These can really be made with any pretzels you have on hand, but my personal favorite is the butter twist (though they can be tough to find, especially if you’re not in the midwest).

I originally had intentions of making these at Christmas, and then New Years, but time just kept getting away from me, so here we are at Easter!  Luckily, these are a good anytime treat, especially when you’re expecting company.

Sunday Funday

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Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels

1 (12 ounce) bag pretzels, preferably butter twists

½ cup butter

⅓ cup sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment.

Melt the butter.  Stir the sugar and cinnamon into the warm butter.  Place the pretzels into a large bowl.  Pour the sugar mixture over the pretzels and stir until coated.

Spread the pretzels (and any remaining sugar mixture) onto the prepared baking sheet.  Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.  If any sugar pools beneath the pretzels, stir it back onto the pretzels.  

Pretzels are done when the pretzels look dry and the sugar has adhered to the pretzels.  Cool and enjoy.