Pumpkin Beer Cheese Skillet with Soft Pretzels.

These pumpkin beer cheese pretzels are divine! Fluffy, soft pretzel rolls topped with flaky salt and baked in a skillet full of beer cheese dip made with pumpkin beer. Absolutely delicious and cozy and wonderful!

Soft pretzels and beer cheese are on tap for the weekend!

These soft and fluffy soft pretzel bites are topped with crunchy salt and hanging out in a bubbly, melty beer cheese dip that is top notch. 

This combo is heavenly. It ranks up there with peanut butter and chocolate. Or peanut butter and jelly. Or cheese and crackers!

You get the drift. 

I mean, just look at it – I don’t think we need much convincing. 

I love how October-y soft pretzels feel. Maybe it’s the faux Octoberfest menus at our local restaurants, but I’m into it. They are warm and cozy and if you make some pumpkin beer cheese to go with – um, hello. No one can resist.

If you want to show your family and friends some foodie love, make them this. That is my favorite expression of love – cooking delicious food! As if it was a giant secret or something. But seriously, this is a labor of love and one that everyone truly adores.

Soft pretzels are so high maintenance but homemade ones can’t be beat. My family goes WILD for them. The kids all love them, even Jordan. Eddie lives for pretzel buns for sandwiches. They are a special treat in our house and sometimes I dread making them, because of the whole dough rising and baking soda bath thing. But they turn out so wonderfully that I am always thrilled that I did it. 

So is everyone else!

While the soft pretzels are good, they are merely a vehicle for CHEESE. The creamiest, meltiest beer cheese dip. Remember last year when I made everything pretzel bites with chipotle beer cheese? YEP.

Just as good. 

This pumpkin beer cheese is incredible. It’s not overly pumpkin flavored – we’re using pumpkin beer, not pumpkin puree or spice. So depending on how pumpkiny or spiced your beer is, that will determine the flavor. If you have a pumpkin beer you love, then you’ll most likely love it in this dip. 

I know that this recipe can seem intimidating. I make my pretzel dough first. While it rises, I grate my cheese and measure out everything for the beer cheese sauce. That way I’m ready to go!

Once the dough has doubled, I form it into tiny rolls for the skillet. I also have another sheet pan of plain pretzel rolls that aren’t baked in cheese – you can use these for dipping too! While they do their second short rise, I make the beer cheese.

Then comes the part when you boil the pretzels in baking soda. This is necessary for that golden, crusty pretzel top. Don’t skip it!

I make a ring of the pretzel dough in an oven-safe skillet then pour the beer cheese in the center. I bake for 25 minutes or so until the cheese is super bubbly and the pretzels are, well…pretzels! 

OH
MY
WORD

Why are soft pretzels dipped in cheese sauce so delicious? If you feel like taking on a special cooking project with a delicious result, make these this weekend.

Everyone will love ya. 

Pumpkin Beer Cheese Pretzels

Pumpkin Beer Cheese with Soft Pretzels

Yield: 4 to 6

Prep Time: 2 hours hrs

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 2 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

These pumpkin beer cheese pretzels are divine! Fluffy, soft pretzel rolls topped with flaky salt and baked in a skillet full of beer cheese dip made with pumpkin beer. Absolutely delicious and cozy and wonderful!

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5 from 15 votes

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Ingredients

soft pretzels

• 1 ½ cups warm water
• 1 package active dry yeast, (2 ¼ teaspoons)
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for your workspace
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• ¼ cups baking soda
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons pretzel salt or flaked salt

pumpkin beer cheese

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup pumpkin beer
• 16 ounces freshly grated white cheddar cheese
• 4 ounces freshly grated gruyere cheese
• fresh chopped chives for topping

Instructions 

• In the bowl of your electric stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the water, honey and yeast and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes until foamy.
• Add in the flour, salt, and butter, then mix with the dough hook until thoroughly combined. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
• Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
• Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. Form each piece in a roll, pinching the ends of the dough on the bottom side so it rounds out.
• Place the dough balls on the baking sheets. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes.
• I like to make the beer cheese now so it’s ready to go. Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once sizzling, whisk in the flour and stir for 1 to 2 minutes until golden and fragrant and bubbly to create a roux. Stir in the beer, whisking well to combine.
• Reduce the heat to low and add the cheese in small handfuls, stirring until totally melted and smooth.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Have a large (I like a 12-inch) cast iron or oven-safe skillet ready to use.
• In a large saucepan, bring 2 quarts of water to a low boil. Add the baking soda and lower the heat to a simmer. Put the pretzel rolls into the water - I like to use a slotted spoon for this. Boil for 30 seconds then carefully turn the pretzels over in the liquid. Repeat for another 30 seconds then remove with a slotted spoon to the prepared sheet pans. Repeat with all the dough.
• With a pastry brush, brush each roll of pretzel with the lightly beaten egg, making sure to coat all sides completely. Use a very sharp knife to slice an “x” in the center of each roll, not deflating the dough. Sprinkle with the flaked salt.
• Place the pretzel rolls in a ring around the edge of the cast iron skillet. Don’t crowd the pretzels, but fit as many as you can comfortably. Pour the beer cheese in the center of the rolls. Place any additional rolls on a baking sheet to bake separately - these are still used for dipping!
• Bake the skillet (and baking sheet of extra rolls) for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the pretzels are super golden on top and set. Remove the skillet and sprinkle the beer cheese with chives. Let cool slightly then serve!

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Author: How Sweet Eats

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