Easy Soft Pretzel Bites And Beer Cheese Dip
These quick and easy 30-minute soft pretzel bites and beer cheese dip make the perfect game day appetizer for a crowd.
Equipment
- Spider strainer or slotted spoon
Ingredients
Soft Pretzel Bites
- 1 pound store-bought pizza dough
- 9 cups water for boiling
- ½ cup baking soda
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
- Sea salt
- Flour for dusting
Beer Cheese Dip
- 8 ounce block cream cheese
- 1 cup beer
- 8 ounce block extra sharp cheddar cheese
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Soft Pretzel Bites
- Lightly dust a large cutting board with flour.
- Dust your hands with flour, then remove the pizza dough from its container and lightly dust it with flour before setting it on the cutting board.
- Slice the dough into 4 equal chunks.
- Roll and stretch out each chunk of dough into a long snake. Start by rolling it between your palms, then once it's slightly oblong grab each end and gently pull in opposite directions. Repeat these motions as needed until each dough snake is about 1/2-inch to 1-inch in diameter.
- To form the pretzel bites, slice each dough snake into equal, bite-sized pieces, about 1/2-inch to 1-inch thick.
- Combine water and baking soda in a large pot and bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a spider strainer (or a slotted spoon, if you don't have a spider strainer), dunk a small batch of the pretzel bites into the boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove from water, drain, and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Repeat Step 8 until all of the pretzel bites have been boiled. Spread them out evenly on the baking sheets, leaving a little space between them.
- Brush pretzel bites with melted butter, then sprinkle with sea salt.
- Bake for about 12 minutes, or until golden-brown.
- Let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Beer Cheese Dip
- Shred the cheddar cheese.
- Melt cream cheese in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Add the beer a little at a time, stirring constantly to fully incorporate.
- Once all the beer has been stirred in, add shredded cheddar cheese in small batches. Stir constantly and melt each batch of cheese completely before adding more.
- Once all the cheese is melted, add salt to taste.
- Serve hot.
Notes
Pizza dough: Our favorite is the fresh-made pizza dough from Whole Foods. We like to let it sit on the counter for about 20 minutes before using it so that it's a little easier to manipulate.
Beer: A simple lager works best for this recipe - the beer flavor will come through without being too overpowering. Try something like a Sam Adams Boston Lager.
Boiling the pretzel bites: This step is easiest with a spider strainer, since it allows you to dunk big batches of pretzel bites at a time and drain them super well. This is the one we have and it's the perfect size, without being too big to store in the cabinet.
Shredding the cheddar cheese: When melting cheese, especially for dips or cheese sauces, it's best to shred it fresh from a block. Pre-shredded cheese typically has a powdery coating on it to keep it from clumping together, which keeps it from melting as nicely. If you don't have a cheese grater, we can highly recommend our OXO Good Grips Multi Grater - it's one of our favorite kitchen tools.
Serving suggestion: Whenever we serve a hot dip, we transfer it to a preheated cast iron skillet so that it stays hot at the table. We love using these mini ones for serving out individual portions of this beer cheese dip!
Nutrition
Calories: 551kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 101mg | Sodium: 3725mg | Potassium: 102mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1120IU | Calcium: 324mg | Iron: 2mg