Jalapeno-Chive Pretzel Bites with Beer-Cheese Dip
We’re extra excited about this week’s recipes over here in the Minnie Chef’s Kitchen! We always enjoy doing some themed cooking, and this week, the theme is football parties! An old classmate of mine has a collaborative beer tasting show, called Beer Undercover, that he broadcasts live every Sunday morning at 10 a.m. on Periscope. If you’re a beer drinker, you should definitely tune in to this fun, informative, and interactive show about all things beer!
We came up with the idea of doing a Minnie Chef and Beer Undercover collaboration to tie together some beer with some bites. So, we took a couple of football party classics and reinvented them a little bit and paired them with a couple of beers. In an effort to achieve a balance, we put a healthy, vegan spin on traditional tacos, and made a vegan version of a pretty traditional—traditionally not so healthy—beer cheese dip with pretzel bites. Both of these recipes will be featured on this upcoming Sunday’s (8/30) episode of Beer Undercover, so don’t forget to tune in live at 10!
| Yields | Prep Time | Cook Time | Total Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 pretzel bites | 70 mins. | 15 mins. | 85 mins. |
These pretzels bites are the perfect handheld snack for a football party! They are mess free and easy to eat, and the intense flavor of beer incorporated into the dish pairs well with whatever beer your drinking on game day.
Ingredients:
For the Pretzels:
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 3 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ a jalapeno, seeded and minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly chopped chives
For the Dip:
- 3/4 cup Rogue Dead Guy Ale (not including head)
- 1 ½ cups Daiya cheddar style shreds
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese
Directions:
For the Pretzels:
- Combine warm water and yeast in a medium size mixing bowl. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes.
- Combine flour, sugar, garlic powder and salt in a separate mixing bowl and stir together.
- Add flour mixture to water mixture and stir together until combined.
- Once mixed together, add in chives and jalapenos and knead dough with hands to incorporate.
- Grease a large mixing bowl with vegetable oil and transfer dough to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a dish towel and allow to rest and rise for 1 hour.
- Once dough has risen, preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and coat with vegetable oil.
- Place another sheet of parchment paper on your countertop near your stove.
- Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons of baking soda.
- Remove dough from bowl and divide into three 3 sections. Roll dough into a rope, approximately 18 inches long, and break or cut into approximately 7 equal pieces.
- Gently Drop pretzel bite dough into the pot of boiling water, three at a time, and let boil for 15 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon or spatula and place on parchment paper on counter top. Allow excess water to roll off. Once all pretzels have been boiled, carefully transfer to parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake for approximately 15-17 minutes or until they have reached a brown color.
- Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack until cool enough to handle.
- Serve immediately.
For the Dip:
- Pour 1 cup of Rogue Dead Guy Ale into a small saucepan and place over low heat.
- Once simmering, add in Daiya cheddar style shreds.
- Stir frequently until cheese has melted.
- Add in yellow mustard, Dijon mustard and Tofutti cream cheese and stir until everything is melted and incorporated.
- Remove from heat and transfer to a serving bowl.
