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The pretzel crunch creation came from a desire to dress up a home-style pudding with out any fuss. Serve the crunch with ice cream and chocolate sauce (William DeShazer/Chicago Tribune) |
Why make a fuss over pretzels? A humble snack, found in every corner store and corner bar, munched on by everyone from babies to beer drinkers, the pretzel may be taken for granted. Enter the dessert lover, the mix-in enthusiast who sees every item in the pantry as a potential add-on in the search for the ultimate sweet snack.
Pretzels bring a strong resume when applying for the job of dessert ingredient. As providers of crunch, they are sturdy and durable, yet easily crushed for sundae toppings and ice cream stir-ins. Their extensive surface area (thanks to the traditional twist) offers plenty of room when dipped in chocolate sauce or peanut butter. But really, it's all about the salt. When salt and sweet meet, everyone wants to join the party.
These recipes are the result of tireless pretzel dessert research and development. We tried all kinds of snack food combos in our quest for the best "everything" cookie — a blend of pretzels, popcorn, chocolate chips and nuts made our taste testers roar the loudest.
The pretzel crunch creation came from a desire to dress up a home-style pudding with out any fuss. Serve the crunch with ice cream and chocolate sauce for a sassy sundae for weeknights when homemade pudding is out of reach.
Pretzel popcorn cookies
Prep: 15 minutes Bake: 12 minutes Makes: 38 cookies
Ingredients: 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature 1/2 cup sugar 3/4 cup dark brown sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 eggs 2 1/2 cups flour 1 cup pretzels, crushed coarsely 1 to 11/2 cups popped popcorn 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped, if desired
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars together with a mixer in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add baking soda and salt; mix well. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, mixing until just combined. Mix in flour. Stir in pretzels, popcorn, chips and nuts; mix until combined.
2. Scoop batter into 38 flat discs; place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until golden brown. Do not over bake. Transfer to rack to cool. Can be frozen.
Nutrition information:
Per serving: 143 calories, 7 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 24 mg cholesterol, 20 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 161 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.
Chocolate pudding with pretzel crunch
Prep: 10 minutes Cook: 8 minutes Chill: 2 hours Servings: 6
Ingredients:
2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
Pinch salt
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Pretzels bring a strong resume when applying for the job of dessert ingredient. As providers of crunch, they are sturdy and durable, yet easily crushed for sundae toppings and ice cream stir-ins. Their extensive surface area (thanks to the traditional twist) offers plenty of room when dipped in chocolate sauce or peanut butter. But really, it's all about the salt. When salt and sweet meet, everyone wants to join the party.
These recipes are the result of tireless pretzel dessert research and development. We tried all kinds of snack food combos in our quest for the best "everything" cookie — a blend of pretzels, popcorn, chocolate chips and nuts made our taste testers roar the loudest.
The pretzel crunch creation came from a desire to dress up a home-style pudding with out any fuss. Serve the crunch with ice cream and chocolate sauce for a sassy sundae for weeknights when homemade pudding is out of reach.
Pretzel popcorn cookies
Prep: 15 minutes Bake: 12 minutes Makes: 38 cookies
Ingredients: 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature 1/2 cup sugar 3/4 cup dark brown sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 eggs 2 1/2 cups flour 1 cup pretzels, crushed coarsely 1 to 11/2 cups popped popcorn 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped, if desired
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars together with a mixer in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add baking soda and salt; mix well. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, mixing until just combined. Mix in flour. Stir in pretzels, popcorn, chips and nuts; mix until combined.
2. Scoop batter into 38 flat discs; place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until golden brown. Do not over bake. Transfer to rack to cool. Can be frozen.
Nutrition information:
Per serving: 143 calories, 7 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 24 mg cholesterol, 20 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 161 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.
Chocolate pudding with pretzel crunch
Prep: 10 minutes Cook: 8 minutes Chill: 2 hours Servings: 6
Ingredients:
2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
Pinch salt
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
