Pretzel Stars

From Megan's Kitchen

The Star is important this time of year,

It represents a scene we all hold most dear.

It watched over the Christ child that special night,

Guiding the Wisemen with it’s leading light.

THIS star is also special without a doubt,

But this star is going straight to my mouth! 

I have been wanting to make homemade pretzels for some time now and since everything has to be Christmas related this time of year, I made them into stars! Pretzel dough is super easy to make and these take no time at all. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Put 1-1/2 cups warm water into your mixer and add 1 packet yeast (or 2-1/4 tsp). Add 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp. salt. Slowly add 4 cups of flour making sure you don't let your dough get too stiff. I just dumped all four cups in and my dough was SUPER stiff. It was hard to work with but the pretzels tasted great. Next time I will definitely take my own advice and add it slow :). Once the dough has formed a ball remove it from your mixer. I divided the dough into 4 sections and made giant pretzels, you can always make more smaller ones. Roll the dough out and then twist into the shape of a star. Put it on a greased cookie sheet and then brush the tops with a beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse salt (or cinnamon sugar if you want a sweet pretzel!). Bake for 12-15 minutes.

 I made a cheesy sauce to dip our pretzels in and my husband was in Heaven! To do this melt 2 tbsp of butter in a sauce pan. Add 3 tbsp of flour and heat until bubbly while stirring constantly. Slowly add 1 cup of milk and bring to a boil. Boil 1 minute. Add 1/2 tsp. paprika, red pepper OR cayenne pepper. Slowly add 1-1/2 sharp or mild cheddar cheese being careful to not let the mixture return to a boil. Serve hot with pretzels and enjoy!