Gourmet Pretzels*

Gourmet Pretzels*

Inspiration: Homemade Caramel and The Painted Pretzel

Well, I did it again. I got an itch to create something and blog about it, but the purist could convincingly argue against its inclusion here. Though I have a rebellious side to me, at my core, I am pretty much a rule follower. Therefore, I am just going to have to give myself permission to make the rules as I go along! As such, Any post marked with an asterisk will be some form of gourmet cooked or decorated food, but will not officially be baked in the cooking process. Perhaps that will allow some clarification for anyone searching the posts and will still allow the creative muse to move.

All that to say that I decided to make these pretzels after seeing a homemade caramel recipe. It made me think of caramel apples at a local candy factory at first, but then I remembered a product called The Painted Pretzel from one of my favorite TV shows, The Shark Tank. Since I love pretzels, I figured dunking them in caramel, dipping them in chocolate, and rolling them in several toppings would by pretty close to pretzel heaven. I dug out some goodies from the baking cabinet and the adventure began.

The first step was to cook the caramel according to the recipe link above to the soft ball stage.

Make sure to use a candy thermometer to get an accurate reading . Once the caramel reaches the correct temperature, dip pretzel rods into the caramel and lay out on a silicone mat to harden slightly.



 After the caramel has set, dip in melted chocolate and then roll in toppings of your choice. I chose the following: chopped pecans, chopped almonds with coconut, toffee pieces, mini chocolate chips.

Wa-La....the finished pretzels!

For me, this was a creative outlet. I enjoy trying something challenging and then being able to eat the results. The caramel tastes fabulous, but was time consuming. Save this recipe for gift giving season or for special party favors. They taste wonderful, but it is a labor of love.

The caramel was rich and buttery. I will use this caramel recipe again for fall apples! For less special occasions, or for snack purposes, I will also try my hand at other pretzels that are simply dipped in chocolate and rolled in the toppings or drizzled. If you make them, I'd love to know how your experience went!