Chewy Mall Pretzels

“I hate writing bad reviews, but this recipe was a disaster.I followed it to a “T” and the dough came out way too sticky.I tried to roll the dough into ropes, but it was impossible and adding more flour just made it tough.I admire those of you who made this recipe successfully — I don’t know what your secret is.I am going to the store for a box of Super Pretzels now.Sorry, Manda :(.I wish I could give this recipe a better review but I have to be fair.”

“This is the first time I’ve made pretzels, but gave it a go as I live in rural UK and it’s impossible to buy fresh ones. These came out beautifully, I did mine with a mix of parmesan, crushed black pepper and sea salt and they were gobbled back in a day.”

“I made these into cinnamon/sugar pretzel bites, which are our favorite at the mall.I made the dough in the bread machine, then cut it into bite-size pieces, let it rise again and then baked.When it was finished baking, I brushed the bites with melted butter and then rolled in a cinnamon sugar mixture.The kids (and the adults) loved them!”

“YUM! These turned out surprisingly well after all the mishaps they endured at my hands! Haha…. first, I used dud yeast and the dough wouldn’t rise (it was in date so I didn’t bother proofing it first – mistake!). So I worked another packet of yeast (quick rise this time, all I had on hand) into the dough with another 1/4c water and a little more flour. Well, it rose, but by that time it was time for bed! So I wrapped it in plastic wrap (sprayed with pam) and put it in the fridge overnight. This morning I saw it had risen more during the night, split open the plastic wrap partway, and the parts exposed were hard as a rock! LOL… anyway, I cut off those parts, made my pretzels and baked as directed (except without toppings – like to put mine on afterward)- except I BARELY greased the baking sheet – another BIG mistake! These babies stuck like glue and I ended up ripping off the bottom 1/4 of each pretzel trying to pry them from the pan. However, all that said – we managed to force them down INSTANTLY because they were STILL completely delicious even after all I put them through. Needless to say, I decided not to take a picture of my mangled, tasty mess… but I will post one next time – and there WILL be a next time! Thanks for posting what truly is an easy recipe… we will enjoy it over and over! 🙂 **Update** Made these again – YUMMO!!!No mishaps this time.:)”

“These pretzels were awesome.I thought they tasted very close to Auntie Anne’s pretzels.I made the dough in the bread machine and the dough turned out almost perfect.I sprinkled a little flour under and over the dough before separating into pieces.That bit of flour helped with the stickiness some people experienced.Thanks for sharing!”

“I thought these tasted just like Auntie Anne mall pretzels but my kids did not. I loved them dipped in butter.I used my bread machine on dough cycle and did not let them rise after I took them out (2hrs later). They were very sticky so next time I will add more flour. They did not shape well at all but they were so yummy- I can easily over look that. I will surely make thee again. Perfect snack.”

“This was the most popular appetizer out of about five that I served at a large BBQ. Ironically, this was the item my family tried to talk me out of making – because we “had too many appetizers”. Even though I let the first batch stay in the oven too long (being busy with everything else) and put them in the fridge after they were dipped in the baking soda – from which they went straight to the oven instead of rising for 20 minutes – they still tasted great. This one’s a keeper.”

“Don’t know why the stars weren’t added, but 5 stars. Pretzel Bites ***** My 17-year old daughter enjoys making this recipe HERSELF, both as pretzels and cut into 1-inch bites. I am so proud of her. I love the bites, the best are rolled in cinnamon and sugar. I LOVE to bake, so thank you very much (particularly for inspiring my DD).”

“These were fantastic – my husband and daughter have been nagging me for months to find a way to make them at home, since Aunt Annes opened in our local town. This recipe produces very authentic pretzels. We made the dough up to step 3 the night before and refridgerated overnight. We also brushed with melted butter before baking and then brushed them again when they came out of the oven and then dipped them in a mix of caster sugar and cinnamon, so that the topping did not catch in the oven. Yum scrum.”

“I love experimenting with the toppings and mixing extra things into the dough. Chopped jalapenos, pepper jack cheese, and taco seasoning make a great mexican-food version that is great to dip in Southwest Creamcheese (from a local bagel shop).”

“This is a very good recipe for pretzels, although to be honest they are not as good as mall pretzels, they are the best home-made version I have tried .. What I will do in the future is to brush with melted butter and bake, then when I take them out of the oven I will brush again with butter and sprinkle on the sugar etc. because some of the topping hardened on the pretzels making them crusty. Also, watch carefully when baking because mine were done at 7 minutes. Thank you for sharing this recipe!”

“Loved this recipe!I made some with cinnamon sugar, some with lots of butter and salt and some lightly buttered and salted.They were all great!I took some to my parents’ house…they couldn’t believe they weren’t from a pretzel shop!”

“I can’t believe how similar these are to the mall pretzels!Thanks.I even use my bread machine for this, putting in the dough ingredients in the order suggested by my bread machine.Thanks”

“Manda,This recipe is just exactly like the recipe I tried last week.It was called ‘Auntie Anne’s Pretzels’ you know like at the mall.I have had the recipe for a year and just tried it last week.I can not believe how good these are.I really love the ones at the Mall and didn’t expect these to be that good.THEY ARE!One thing I do differ than your recipe is, when pretzels are through baking I dip them in melted butter and then dip them in a mixture of parmesean,garlic powder and parsley.Yuuuumy.You can also make a mixture of cinnamon and sugar to dip into after the butter.These are excellent.”