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    Home » Recipes » Appetizer

    Soft Pretzel Nuggets

    Modified: Mar 20, 2024 · Published: Aug 22, 2012 by Tonia Larson

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    ↓ JUMP TO RECIPE

    This copycat recipe for soft pretzels is inspired by Auntie Anne’s soft pretzel nuggets. They make a great after school snack and are a fun way to start cooking with kids.

    pretzel nuggets in paper cup

    One of our favorite things at the mall are the Auntie Anne’s soft pretzels. We’ve enjoyed many of the varieties, but my kids’ favorite is the pretzel nuggets. I decided to try making them at home and have my kids help me. Vanessa was really excited, but Zack was hesitant to do it with us, but once we got going he really enjoyed it.

    yeast in bowl

    First, dissolve 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast, 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in 1 ½ cups warm water

    dough in mixer

    Stir in 4 cups of flour. I used my Kitchen Aid and dough hook.

    dough on dough hook

    Knead until smooth and elastic. I let my mixer do the work but this could also be done by hand in the traditional way.

    dough in bowl

    Place dough in a well oiled bowl and turn to coat.

    risen dough

    Cover and let rise for one hour until doubled in size.

    dough on floured surface

    Preheat oven to 425°F. Turn dough onto floured surface.

    segments of dough

    Pat down and cut into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and cut into small sections.

    baking soda water

    Dissolve ¼ cup of baking soda in 2 cups of warm water.

    dip dough in baking soda water

    Dip pretzel pieces into baking soda solution.

    dough segments on baking sheet

    Place on a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle pieces with kosher salt.

    baked pretzel nuggets

    Bake for 7-8 minutes until golden brown.

    pretzel nugget in melted butter

    Dip each nugget in melted butter and they are ready to eat! We tried sprinkling on additional kosher salt, but it was too much. The kids also tried sprinkling on cinnamon and sugar which they thought was delicious as well!

    pretzel nuggets in paper cup

    I quickly folded a paper cup and the kids ran some pretzel nuggets over to our neighbor. Everyone thought they were delicious and my kids keep asking to make them again.

    Auntie Anne's copycat pretzel nuggets.

    Auntie Anne’s Copycat Soft Pretzel Nuggets

    This copycat recipe for soft pretzels is inspired by Auntie Anne's soft pretzel nuggets. They make a great after school snack and are a fun way to start cooking with kids.
    4.53 from 116 votes
    ↑ Click stars to rate!
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    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 8 minutes minutes
    Inactive Time: 1 hour hour
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 23 minutes minutes
    Servings: 12
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    Ingredients

    • 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
    • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 ½ cups warm water
    • 4 cups flour
    • ¼ cup baking soda
    • 2 cups warm water
    • 1 tablespoon pretzel salt for topping
    • ½ cup butter, melted

    Instructions

    • Dissolve yeast, sugar and salt in 1 1/2 cups warm water.
    • Stir in flour.
    • Knead until smooth and elastic.
    • Place dough in a well oiled bowl and turn to coat.
    • Cover and let rise for one hour.
    • Preheat oven to 425°F.
    • Turn dough onto floured surface. Pat down and cut into 12 equal pieces.
    • Roll each piece into a rope and cut into small sections.
    • Dissolve baking soda in 2 cups warm water.
    • Dip dough pieces into baking soda solution.
    • Place pieces on a greased cookie sheet.
    • Sprinkle with pretzel salt.
    • Bake at 425˚F for 7-8 minutes until golden brown.
    • Dip each nugget in melted butter after baking.
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    Notes

    Makes 60 pretzel nuggets with a serving size of 5 per person.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 5nuggets | Calories: 229kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 1525mg | Potassium: 53mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 236IU | Vitamin C: 0.002mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 2mg
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: American
    Author: Tonia Larson

    recipe inspired by Mall Pretzels

    Looking for other after school snacks?
    Try making Baked Mozzarella Cheese Sticks or Mini Fruit Pizza

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    About Tonia Larson

    Hi! I’m Tonia, the owner and recipe creator at The Gunny Sack, where I’ve shared easy recipes for busy people for 14+ years! My family-friendly meals, easy side dishes, and delicious desserts include mouthwatering photos, dynamic videos, and step-by-step instructions to help you cook at home.

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    Comments

      4.53 from 116 votes (110 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. PringleTingle says

      September 17, 2024 at 5:04 pm

      4 stars
      what oil did you use to coat the bowl? butter or vegetable oil or something? or pan spray? thank you, ill be making these for my cooking class.

      Reply
      • Tonia Larson says

        September 17, 2024 at 6:33 pm

        I usually use vegetable oil or olive oil. Good luck!

        Reply
    2. Angelina says

      February 9, 2023 at 11:29 pm

      I was wondering if you’ve experimented with freezing/refrigerating the dough before hand? I want to make a double batch for a Super Bowl party but I’d like to be able to focus on other things and then pull the dough out and pop them in the oven at the last minute so they’re nice and fresh.

      Reply
      • Tonia says

        February 10, 2023 at 10:21 am

        Hello Angelina,
        I’ve never experimented with freezing/refrigerating the pretzel dough, but that being said you should be able to do either one. Wait to dip them in the baking soda/water mixture until right before baking them. Another idea, to make things easier is that you could bake them, freeze or refrigerate them and then reheat them for the party.
        ~Tonia

        Reply
    3. Abi Plunkett says

      November 28, 2022 at 1:18 pm

      5 stars
      They were delicous

      Reply
    4. Kristen Gates says

      September 6, 2022 at 3:29 pm

      I cooked mine in my cake pop maker. I weighed out my dough 15g and they only took 3-4 minutes to cook right up. It’s the perfect size!

      Reply
    5. Jasmine says

      March 30, 2021 at 8:50 pm

      These were AMAZING!!! If your pretzels are not turning a nice golden brown, just spray some butter on top and the moisture will start to cook the top. I also bout them in broil for a little bit. Better then Auntie Anne’s!!!

      Reply
    6. Stacy says

      January 16, 2021 at 5:54 pm

      Great recipe. I’ve never made pretzel bites or pretzels before and this was a straight forward recipe. I make a lot bread and was impressed with how easy this dough came together. The recipe was spot on consistency wise. The only thing that I changed was when it came to the butter. I tried one batch and wasn’t happy with the color so I brushed my pieces with melted butter and then sprinkled with salt BEFORE baking. They came out fantastic. Thank you for a great recipe and experience making pretzels.

      Reply
    7. Kalista says

      June 9, 2020 at 4:17 pm

      These are INCREDIBLE! I can’t stop eating them

      Reply
    8. Shaniya says

      August 3, 2019 at 6:46 pm

      Just made these tonight, they really are amazing! Not hard either (which is nice lol) thank you for sharing the recipe 🙂

      Reply
    9. Karina Cancio says

      May 12, 2019 at 2:29 pm

      5 stars
      I cut the recipe in half and these taste amazing. Just like auntie annes!

      Reply
      • Tonia says

        May 13, 2019 at 11:19 am

        Fantastic! They are my kid’s favorite! ~Tonia

        Reply
    10. Jrffrey says

      July 17, 2018 at 7:32 am

      how did you make the paper cups?do you have a guide

      Reply
    11. trey says

      October 26, 2017 at 7:53 pm

      5 stars
      we are now at day 3 of making these. though the first 2 days we did the dough as a pizza instead, tonight we did the bites (though stuffed with cheese and pepperoni). just wanted to say that these turned out amazing and they are crazy easy.

      Reply
      • Tonia says

        October 28, 2017 at 10:43 am

        Awesome! We love them too. We make them with Pillsbury dough, homemade dough, and Rhodes bread dough. ~Tonia

        Reply
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    Tonia Larson from The Gunny Sack.

    Hi, I'm Tonia! Welcome to The Gunny Sack, where I’ve shared easy recipes for busy people for 14+ years! Meet Tonia Larson →

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