While I love classic soft pretzels and beer cheese, I also live for a sweet dessert pretzel! These homemade cinnamon sugar soft pretzels are perfectly soft and chewy, and served with vanilla cream cheese frosting dip!
You might also like these cinnamon sugar apple cider donuts or my pretzel burger buns!
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Why You'll Love These Pretzels
These cinnamon sugar pretzels are super easy to make and require minimal hands on time! I adapted them from my classic sourdough soft pretzels recipe, but since this recipe just uses commercial yeast, they only have to rise for an hour!
There's a two step cooking process involving boiling the pretzels in baking soda and then baking in the oven, that yields super chewy soft pretzels with the perfect texture!
This recipe make 12 medium sized pretzels, but it's super easy to make them larger or smaller. You could also cut them into little cinnamon sugar pretzel bites!
Think Auntie Anne's pretzels from the mall but even better!
Ingredient Notes
You just need a few ingredients to make these cinnamon sugar pretzels!
Bread Flour - I use bread flour to make the pretzels a little bit chewier, but you can easily substitute all purpose flour. You just made need 2-3 extra tablespoons of flour.
Instant Yeast - The yeast is what helps the dough rise! I like using instant yeast (as opposed to active dry yeast) because you don't need to bloom it first.
Whole Milk - The whole milk helps add flavor to the pretzels and keep them tender, but you can substitute skim milk or water if you prefer.
Non-diastatic Malt Powder - You can leave this out if you can't get your hands on it, but I highly recommend it! Non-diastatic malt powder gives both pretzels and bagels their distinct flavor and shiny crust.
Baking Soda - Boiling the pretzels in baking soda is crucial for helping them rise properly and get the perfect texture!
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
Making the Pretzel Dough
Using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, combine all dough ingredients (flour, milk, sugar, yeast, salt, and butter) and mix on a low speed until the dough comes together as a smooth cohesive mass (5-10 minutes).
The dough should be slightly sticky. If it's too dry and won't come together, add an additional tablespoon or two of milk. If the dough is too sticky, add in an additional tablespoon or two of flour.
Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place for 1 hour; it will rise minimally.
How to Shape Pretzels
Turn the dough out onto your work surface (you shouldn't need to flour your work surface) and fold 2-3 times to gently deflate it. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces (about 65 grams each).
[For 8 larger pretzels, I do dough balls of about 100 grams each.]
Take your first piece and roll into a rope that's about ½ inch wide and roughly 15 inches long.
Make the dough rope into a large U shape, then twist the ends of the rope together 2 times.
Pull the twisted ends down to the bottom of the U and press firmly to make the classic pretzel shape.
[If the ends of the pretzel are not sticking to the pretzel, just brush the pretzel with a little water and press down firmly.]
Boil & Bake Pretzels
Preheat oven to 350°F and line a nonreactive baking sheet with parchment paper.
Fill a large nonreactive pot with water and bring to a rolling boil. Add in 2 tablespoons of baking soda.
Boil the pretzels for about 30 seconds on each side and then place on your lined baking sheet. You will only be able to boil about 3 pretzels at a time. Do not skip this step! It might seem unnecessary, but this is what gives the pretzels that signature look and texture.
Bake the pretzels at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown
In a medium bowl, mix together the cinnamon and sugar. Lightly brush the pretzels with melted butter and then toss in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Dip the cinnamon sugar soft pretzels in cream cheese frosting and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
The cinnamon sugar pretzels are DELICIOUS when they're right out of the oven and still warm! But the cinnamon sugar mixture gets a little melty (which is fine if you're eating them right away).
So for a cleaner (and less sticky) presentation, let the pretzels cool completely to room temperature before tossing in the cinnamon sugar.
Instead of cream cheese frosting, you could also dip the pretzels in:
- Salted caramel sauce
- Hot fudge or chocolate sauce
You could also substitute the cinnamon for pumpkin pie spice for a fun fall snack!
Recipe FAQ's
These soft pretzels are best eaten the same day. But they will keep covered at room temperature for 2-3 days. For best results, I recommend storing the pretzels plain and then tossing in butter and cinnamon sugar just prior to serving.
Boiling the dough causes it to instantly puff up, creating a chewy interior and helps the outside crisp up while baking. The baking soda also helps the pretzels become a dark, golden brown color.
Yes! Bake the pretzels and let them cool fully to room temperature (do NOT brush with butter and cinnamon sugar). Then wrap in aluminum foil/plastic wrap/wax paper/etc. and then seal in an airtight freezer bag for up to 2 months. To reheat, let thaw for about 10-15 minutes, then bake at 400°F for about 5 minutes. Then brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
A "reactive" pot refers to metal cookware that can react chemically with certain ingredients that are either especially acidic or alkaline. It can make food taste metallic and also discolor your pans as the metal is literally leeching into your food. The most common culprits are tomatoes, citrus, and vinegar because they're highly acidic. However, baking soda is highly alkaline and will also react with certain metals. So since the pretzels are boiled in baking soda and then transferred to a baking sheet, it's important that both your pot and baking sheets are nonreactive.
Some metals that are considered "reactive" are uncoated aluminum, unlined copper, and cast iron. Whereas "nonreactive" materials are stainless steel, ceramic, aluminized steel, and enamel coated metal (so enameled cast iron is fine).
Most baking sheets are either aluminum or aluminized steel. So just remember that aluminized steel is what you want to use when working with baking soda!
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
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Recipe Card
Cinnamon Sugar Soft Pretzels with Cream Cheese Frosting Dip
Special Equipment
Ingredients
Pretzels
- 3 ½ cups bread flour, substitute all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon non-diastatic malt powder, optional
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk
- 2 tablespoons baking soda, for boiling
Topping
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
Instructions
Pretzels
- Using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, combine all dough ingredients (flour, sugar, malt powder, yeast, salt, milk, and butter) and mix on a low speed until the dough comes together as a smooth cohesive mass (5-10 minutes).
- The dough should be slightly sticky. If it's too dry and won't come together, add an additional tablespoon or two of milk. If the dough is too sticky, add in an additional tablespoon or two of flour.
- Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place for 1 hour; it will rise minimally.
- Turn the dough out onto your work surface (you shouldn't need to flour your work surface) and fold 2-3 times to gently deflate it. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces (about 65 grams each).
- Take your first piece and roll into a rope that's about ½ inch wide and roughly 15 inches long. Make the dough rope into a large U shape, then twist the ends of the rope together 2 times. Pull the twisted ends down to the bottom of the U and press firmly to make the classic pretzel shape. [If the ends of the pretzel are not sticking to the pretzel, just brush the pretzel with a little water and press down firmly.]
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a nonreactive baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Fill a large nonreactive pot with water and bring to a rolling boil. Add in 2 tablespoons of baking soda.
- Boil the pretzels for about 30 seconds on each side and then place on your lined baking sheet. You will only be able to boil about 3 pretzels at a time. Do not skip this step! It might seem unnecessary, but this is what gives the pretzels that signature look and texture.
- Bake the pretzels at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the cinnamon and sugar. Lightly brush the pretzels with melted butter and then toss in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the softened butter and cream cheese until completely smooth.
- Then add in the powdered sugar and beat on slow until combined.
- Then add in the vanilla and cream and mix until smooth and creamy!
- Dip the cinnamon sugar soft pretzels in cream cheese frosting and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Amber K. says
SO good!
Maggie says
I made these for my coworkers for Easter and as always Kyleigh knocks it out of the park! I was having some issues with my dough so I made pretzel bites instead. I made the cream cheese icing and also made an espresso ganache. They were so delicious. Thanks again for the beautiful recipes and pictures!