chocolate-dipped mini pretzels for valentine's day

we tend to keep valentine's day pretty low key around our house.  we usually skip the overpriced dinners at crowded restaurants on february 14th and instead stay at home and make a nice meal together.  we like exchanging handmade cards and keeping things simple.

over the weekend i decided to make ryan a little valentine treat.  i used mini pretzels and chocolate that we already had in our kitchen to make chocolate-dipped pretzels.  (ryan is a big fan of chocolate covered pretzels.)

there is hardly a "recipe" for this.  all i did was melt white chocolate and dark chocolate, dip the pretzels in the melted chocolate, and then decorate them with red and white sprinkles, red sugar, and white nonpareils.  super easy.

once the chocolate set, i put the dipped pretzels in a little bag, tied it up with a ribbon, and decorated it with a label.  if your looking to make a simple, easy, and inexpensive treat for your valentine, chocolate-dipped pretzels are just about as easy as you can get.

happy valentine's day!

love, laurie

chocolate peanut butter pretzel cake

i was really excited when i learned that joy wilson was releasing her second cookbook in october.  i immediately put it on my christmas gift wish list, then proceed to patiently wait for two months. i was thrilled when i unwrapped this cookbook from ryan's parents at christmas.  as soon as i saw the cake on the front cover, i knew it was the cake i wanted for my birthday this year.

a thirtieth birthday requires an epic birthday cake, and this cake certainly fits the bill.  a three-layer chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting, crushed pretzels, and chopped chocolate pieces between each layer.  the whole thing is covered in peanut butter frosting, and then then the top is decorated with chopped roasted peanuts and more chopped chocolate pieces.  as if that's not enough, the sides of the cake are totally covered in mini pretzel twists.

ryan and i made this cake for my birthday celebration this weekend, and it was absolutely delicious.  it was the perfect blend of sweet and salty.  we have been enjoying leftover slices of cake for dessert each night since then.

chocolate peanut butter pretzel cake
prep time: 10-15 minutes
baking time: 25 minutes
yields: one 3-layer 9-inch round cake (approximately 20 servings)
adapted from joy the baker homemade decadence

cake ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
1 cup granulated white sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
2 cups buttermilk

frosting ingredients:
2 cups (4 sticks) salted butter, softened
1 1/2 cup all-natural creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
6 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons cream

extra ingredients:
1 cup crushed salted pretzels
4 oz. chopped 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup chopped unsalted roasted peanuts
63 mini salted pretzel twists

directions:
to make the cake: preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  grease and flour the sides of three 9-inch round baking pans, and line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper.  in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter.  add the sugars and beat until light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes).  add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  mix in the vanilla.  in a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, and espresso powder.  add half of the flour mixture and beat until incorporated.  with the mixer on low, add the buttermilk in a slow stream and beat until thoroughly combined.  add the remaining flour mixture and beat just until combined.  divide the batter among the 3 pans.  bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.  once baked, allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 15 minutes before removing the cakes from the pans and allowing them to cool completely on a wire cooling rack.

to make the frosting: in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, cream the butter.  add the peanut butter and and vanilla, then beat well until combined.  add 2 cups of the powdered sugar and beat until combined.  add another 2 cups of sugar along with 3 tablespoons of cream.  beat well until combined.  add the remaining 2 cups of sugar and beat until the frosting reaches your desired consistency.

to assemble the cake: place one layer of the cake on a cake stand and cover it in frosting.  sprinkle half of the crushed pretzels on top of the frosting along with one third of the chopped chocolate.  place the second layer of the cake on top of the first and repeat.  place the third layer of the cake on top and cover the entire cake with an even smooth layer of frosting.  sprinkle the remaining chopped chocolate around the top rim of the cake along with the chopped peanuts.  press the mini pretzel twists into the sides of the cake.

note: a 3-layer 9-inch round cake will accommodate 21 columns of 3 pretzels.  if you stack three pretzels on top of each other in a straight vertical line, it will make it easy to slice the cake, rather than offsetting each row of pretzels.

enjoy!

love, laurie

homemade soft pretzels (auntie anne's copycat recipe)

whenever we walk through the mall, i always smell the aroma of warm pretzels wafting from the auntie anne's pretzel store.  i haven't bought a pretzel from auntie anne's in years, but they always smell so good.  so, i was intrigued when i found a copycat recipe to make your own auntie anne's pretzels at home.

when we made these pretzels, we made them into different types of pretzels.  we cut some into small bite-sized pieces, and formed some into traditionally-shaped pretzels.  we salted half of the pretzels and dipped them in mustard and cheese, and we covered the other half in cinnamon sugar.  we even wrapped some of the pretzel dough around hot dogs to make pretzel dogs too!

all of them were so good.  there's absolutely no reason to buy pretzels at the mall when you can make your own right at home!

this recipe made a bunch of pretzels, which is fine if you are cooking for a crowd.  since we are only two people, we put the extra pretzels in ziploc bags and froze them until we were ready to eat them.  they reheated really well!

bite-sized pretzels . . .

traditionally-shaped large pretzels . . .

pretzel dogs . . .

homemade soft pretzels (auntie anne's copycat recipe)
prep time: 10-15 minutes
rising time: 1 hour
baking time: 7-10 minutes
yields: 12 large pretzels
adapted from yammie's noshery

ingredients:
2 cups milk
1 1/2 tablespoons active-dry yeast
6 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter, melted
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 cup warm water

directions:
warm the milk until it is between 110-115 degrees F.  stir the yeast into the warm milk and let it sit for 3 minutes.  add the milk, yeast, melted butter, and sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook.  add the flour, one cup at a time, and mix until the flour is incorporated and forms into a dough.  kneed for about 10 minutes.  place the dough in a greased bowl, and cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel.  allow the dough to rise for 1 hour in a warm place, until doubled in size.

preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.  combine the warm water and baking soda in a wide and shallow bowl.  punch down the dough and divide it into 12 even portions.  roll each portion of dough into a very thin and long rope, then either form the dough into a pretzel shape or cut it into small pretzel bites.  dip the dough into the water and baking soda mixture, then place on a greased baking sheet.  bake for 7-10 minutes, or until brown.  once baked, brush each pretzel with melted butter and sprinkle with either salt or cinnamon sugar.

enjoy!

love, laurie