Pretzel Bites & Beer Cheese Fondue

Yesterday we made an awesome appetizer, well it ended up being our dinner...

We made  Pretzel Bites and Beer Cheese Fondue and both are definitely a match made in culinary heaven!

 

I once bought pretzel bites at Whole Foods and we loved them, so we thought we should try to make them at home. Why not, right? In this household we pretty much make everything ourselves. I know, we are a little crazy.... 

 

 

I don't know what it is, but we just love making things from scratch. From our homemade bread, granola, to roasting our own coffee and making soap and laundry detergent. I wasn't kidding when I said we make pretty much everything! I just don't know how to sew and I've always wanted to learn but haven't found the time (or sewing machine) to start a new hobby.

 

 

This recipe requires a bit of patience, since you have to let the dough rise for 2 to 3 hours, but trust me, it's definitely well worth the wait!

Once the dough has risen, you roll it into logs and cut them into bite size logs. The logs then have to go into a quick hot bath (of water and baking soda), then transferred to a baking sheet. You immediately sprinkle the pretzels with salt, so the salt sticks. Once you've finished this process, you bake them in the oven for about 8 to 10 minutes and transfer to a rack to cool.

Hubby made the pretzel bites while I made the Beer Cheese Fondue. The pretzel bites recipe has a quick cheese dip recipe, however I wanted a melted gooey cheese sauce, so I used the Beer Cheese Fondue recipe. This duo is amazing (I think I said it before, but it is!)

The fondue is really easy to make and you will want to eat on EVERYTHING! I could see this fondue over nachos. Yum!

If you are salivating at this point and can't wait 3 hours or so to make pretzel bites, I urge to go to Whole Foods and buy them there, but please make the Beer Cheese Fondue! All you have to do is bring the beer to a boil and then add the rest of the ingredients, stir until the cheese has melted and you're done!

Enjoy!