Forming the Dough Bites

If you haven’t made pretzel bites before and you would like a step-by-step photo guide on how to properly roll and slice the dough prior to baking, click here! In my original Auntie Anne’s pretzel bite recipe (the sea salt and cinnamon sugar pretzels), I have all of those details if you’d like that extra info.

That being said, please don’t forget that we’re adding a step to this recipe that you will not see in my original Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Bite recipe. In this recipe, we’re tossing the pretzels in their topping immediately after the water bath and before baking in the oven.

Extra Butter

Personally, I think these pretzel bites are delicious without any added melted butter. That being said, after the pretzel bites have finished baking, feel free to toss them all in a little melted unsalted butter to add some extra shine and flavor! This will make them more similar to the actual Auntie Anne’s pretzel bites.

Caramel Dipping Sauce

For this recipe, I used my homemade caramel sauce recipe that is already on the blog for you! I did not list those ingredients and instructions in the recipe below as you do not have to make the caramel dipping sauce if you do not want to. You could also pair these with the cream cheese frosting dip from my original pretzel bite recipe.

Why the Water Bath?

When making pretzels of any shape, it’s important to never skip the water bath! The reason we’re combining water with baking soda is so that we have a pretzel bite as opposed to a dough bite.

The baking soda mixed with the water will create a chemical reaction due to the high alkalinity of the baking soda which is what gives you that pretzel crust and shine. Without that glossy outer coating on the pretzel, you won’t achieve that perfect pretzel texture that you’re looking for.

bankobake

Copycat Auntie Anne’s Almond Crunch Pretzel Bites

Tossing pretzel bites in crushed almonds and granulated sugar prior to baking will give you the most incredible texture for the best bite every time. These Copycat Auntie Anne's Almond Crunch Pretzel Bites have a wonderful flavor from the dough to the almond coating and they pair so perfectly with my homemade caramel dipping sauce or my cream cheese frosting dip.

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Rising Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 2 hours hrs

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

For the Dough

• ½ cup warm whole milk (125mL)
• ½ cup warm water (117mL)
• 1 tsp granulated sugar (4g)
• 2 ¼ tsp dry rapid/instant yeast (7g)
• 3 cups bread flour (426g)
• ⅓ cup dark brown sugar lightly packed (61g)
• ½ tsp fine salt (3g)
• ½ tsp baking powder (2g)
• 2 tbsp unsalted partially melted butter (29g)

For the Water Bath

• 2 cups warm water (473mL)
• 2 tbsp baking soda (35g)

For the Almond Crunch Coating

• 6 oz sliced almonds (chopped) (170g)
• ½ cup granulated sugar (107g)

Method

 

1. In a small microwave-safe bowl, warm the milk and water for about 45 seconds. It should be between 100℉ – 108℉.
2. Add the granulated sugar and instant yeast to the warm milk/water. Give it a quick mix and set that aside for ~5 minutes or until the yeast blooms (instant yeast technically doesn't need to rest and bloom, however, I always like to allow it that time to ensure that it works properly so that I don't ruin my dough)
3. In the bowl of your stand mixer (you can also use your hands), whisk together all of the other dough ingredients (bread flour, dark brown sugar, salt, baking powder, and partially melted butter).
4. Place the dough hook on your stand mixer (or continue mixing by hand). Add the bloomed yeast to the dry ingredients and begin mixing the dough on low speed until a dough ball begins to form.
5. Sprinkle bread flour on a clean and dry counter and then place the dough ball on top of the counter.
6. Continue kneading the dough by hand for about 3 minutes until it's just slightly sticky and soft. If it's too sticky while you're kneading it, sprinkle bread flour on top of the dough ball 1 tsp at a time.
7. Form the dough into a tight ball and place it in a well-oiled bowl.
8. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a warm kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise for 45 minutes – 1 hour or until it has doubled in size. This rising time will greatly depend on the temperature of the room (a warmer room will allow the dough to rise faster!)
9. During the rise, I like to make my caramel sauce which can be found here. If you would like your caramel to be a little lighter and more thin, add an extra tablespoon of butter and an extra tablespoon of heavy cream to the recipe linked above. Allow the caramel to cool a little before pouring into a jar. Set that aside for later.

   You can also make the cream cheese frosting dip from my original pretzel bite recipe.
10. Next, grab a small mixing bowl and combine the granulated sugar and chopped sliced almonds.
11. After the rise is complete, place the dough back onto a lightly floured counter and gently roll the dough out using a rolling pin.
12. Cut the dough into 6 equal strips and then roll each strip out to about 22″ long.
13. Cut ~1" pieces from those dough strips.
14. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the warm water and baking soda for the water bath.
15. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 400℉.
16. Dunk all of the dough pieces into the water bath for just a few seconds before taking them out and straining the excess water.
17. Now, toss each pretzel bite in the sugar/almond mixture so that they are all coated well.
18. Lay the pretzel bites on the baking sheet so that they aren't overlapping. Sprinkle some extra granulated sugar on top of them.
19. Bake at 400℉ on the center rack for 8-9 minutes until the tops are just slightly golden and the bottoms are a deeper brown. As always, the baking time will vary depending on your oven so keep an eye on them as they bake.
20. Optional: After the pretzel bites have baked, you can toss them in a few tablespoons of melted unsalted butter to make them closer to the Auntie Anne's version. I personally think they're great without it since I dipped mine in the sweet caramel sauce!
21. Serve the pretzel bites warm with your homemade caramel sauce and/or cream cheese frosting dip and enjoy!