I want to tell you about a restaurant I love here in Cincinnati, OH called Senate.
These Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites are the perfect snack for anyone!
Senate is an awesome restaurant located downtown Cincinnati that specializes in creating gourmet street food. On their menu you will find various hot dogs with funky names like the Trailer Park Hot dog wrapped in bacon, has American Cheese, coleslaw, crushed BBQ chips, on a sweet and buttery brioche bun; there is also the Poutine (my personal favorite), which is french fries topped off with local cheese curds, braised short ribs, and gravy; they also have amazing truffle fries; and another favorite are their Pretzel Beignets with caramel marscarpone dip.
When I go to Senate, I go for the entire dining experience and pretty much get everything I just mentioned. I may switch it up with their burger, which is fantastic, or a different hot dog every once in a while, but this is pretty much my menu. I only go once or maybe twice a year because these food choices contain more calories than the recommend daily intake. I don’t care! That is the purpose of dining is to taste a little bit of everything, have good conversation, drink some wine, and really enjoy yourself. Speaking of which, it is about time for me to go to Senate. Anyway,because I am craving them so much I wanted to create an “at-home” version of one of my favorite dishes at Senate, which are the Pretzel Beignets.
Now let me preface by saying that these Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites are good but they are no comparison to the Pretzel Beignets at Senate. If you are in or come to visit Cincinnati, OH make sure you put that on your place to visit. Anyway, these pretzel bites are awesome! Now, I know that I used a box mix to make the pretzels but honestly, you can make them from scratch and get the same result. Fleischmann’s pretzel box mix has all of your basic at home ingredients such as flour, yeast, and salt. Using the kit just makes it a little easier and eases the intimidation of using yeast for you beginner bakers out there. I had a hard time staying away from these (only ate 2 which is good for me) so if you love bread and pretzel bites like I do, make sure you are going to immediately serve them to a crowd of people so you don’t binge. Now I’m not opposed to you enjoying yourself but I need you to save room and stay guilt free so you can enjoy more of my recipes. Remember, you must go to Senate if you are ever in the Cincinnati area. Bye now!
Baked Cinnamon Sugar Bites with Caramel Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Fleischmann’s Simply Homemade Pretzel Baking Mix Box
- 3/4 c. warm water
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 6 tbsp. butter, melted
- 3/4 c. sugar
- 1 tbsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 c. pretzels, crushed
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 c. caramel sauce
Instructions
- Prepare the pretzel mix as instructed on the box by adding the water and oil and allow to sit for 25 minutes in a warm, draft-free place (dough WILL NOT double in size).
- Once the dough has sat for 25 minutes, begin to make midsized balls and place on a sprayed baking sheet. Keep the pretzel balls covered as you make the rest of the balls so they don’t get dried out.
- Preheat oven to 400 Degrees. Combine 6 cups of water with baking soda in a large deep saucepan until water boils. Use a slotted spoon or spatula and dip one pretzel ball into the water for 10-15 seconds then remove the pretzel balls and place back on the baking sheet. Continue this process until all pretzel ball are complete. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Once the pretzel balls are complete, use a pastry brush and brush each ball with the melted butter. In a brown paper bag or bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, and crushed pretzels and mix well. Take each pretzel ball and shake with the sugar mixture and turn to a cooling rack or plate lined with paper towels.
- To make cream cheese just combine the cream cheese and caramel in a small shallow bowl and use a rubber spatula ti mix well.
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