Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Twists - Baked in a muffin pan and made with refrigerated dough to save time, you're going to LOVE how FAST and EASY these finger-lickin' sweet pretzel bites are! A simple powdered sugar glaze makes pulling apart this buttery soft pretzel dough coated with cinnamon and sugar just irresistible!
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time10 minutesmins
Total Time20 minutesmins
Course: Bread, Rolls, Muffins & Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8
Calories: 335kcal
Author: Averie Sunshine
Ingredients
one 13.8-ounce can refrigerated pizza dough*or similar dough, or see Notes for scratch options
3tablespoonsunsalted buttermelted
⅓cupgranulated sugar + 1 tablespoon
3tablespoonslight brown sugar
2tablespoonscinnamon + 1 teaspoon
2cupsconfectioners' sugarsifted if lumpy
½teaspoonvanilla extract
1 to 2tablespoonsmilk or half-and-halfas necessary
Instructions
Pretzel Twists - Preheat oven to 425F and spray a 12-count muffin pan very well with cooking spray. Tip - You're only going to use 8 of the 12 cavities so spray only that many. You can stagger them around the pan; set aside.
Untoll the refrigerated pizza dough onto your clean countertop or large cutting board. If using scratch dough, roll it out to 1/4-inch thick, about 8x12-inches in size; set aside.
To a small bowl, add the melted butter, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, all the light brown sugar, 2 tablespoons cinnamon, and stir to combine until a thick paste forms. Note - You are reserving the final tablespoon of of granulated sugar and final teaspoon of cinnamon; set aside.
Spread this paste mixture over half the dough.
Fold the "bald" dough down over the paste, like you're folding a piece of paper in half.
To a small bowl, add the remaining 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and stir to combine to form cinnamon-sugar and evenly sprinkle this over the visible surface of the folded dough.
Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut vertical slices of dough, divided into 8 pieces equally, meaning each strip should be about 1-inch wide. Tip - I don't recommend making more or less than 8 strips of dough (which will change the yield of the recipe) because strips this size fit very well into the muffin pan and will bake as directed.
Twist each piece of dough and fold it under itself to make a tie or knot and place each twist of dough into the prepared pan. Tip - This isn't an exact science. Twist it how you think it looks good, is secure, and fits nicely into your muffin pan. You can evaluate how they bake up, and for future batches, make adjustments in your twisting technique, if necessary.
Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly golden browned. Tips - This is a very hot oven and even 1 minute matters so keep a very close eye on the dough in the final minutes of baking. Bake on the center oven rack, rotating the pan once midway through baking for optimal results. Note that scratch dough may need a few more minutes to bake then refrigerated store bought dough.
Allow the pretzel twists to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes. While they cool, whisk the glaze together.
Glaze - To a small bowl, add the confectioners' sugar, vanilla extra, and drizzle in the milk 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is achiveved.
Evenly drizzle the glaze over the tops of the pretzel twists, or as desired. Pretzel twists are best served warm and fresh but will keep airtight at room temp for up to 4 days.
Notes
*If you don't live in an area where refrigerated dough is common or easy to find, or you're just one of those "gotta do it from scratch" people, I've got you covered with a few different 100% from-scratch dough options:
Homemade Soft Pretzels - Very chewy, hearty, soft pretzels that are easy to make and reminiscent of food court pretzels from say Auntie Anne's or Wetzels. I've never eaten a true German pretzel but these potentially are very close because they're also made with beer!
Soft Buttery One Hour Pretzels - Very similar to the above in that they are soft and chewy, but they are a bit fluffier and not quite as chewy. They're buttery, fast, easy, and do-able in one hour. Also very similar to Auntie Anne's or Wetzels.
One-Hour Chocolate Or Cinnamon-Sugar Pretzel Bites - Just like the pretzel bites at the mall, except these are better! One version is chocolate from being dipped in cocoa powder and the other is cinnamon-sugar. You'll be fighting over who gets the last pretzel bite!
One-Hour Soft Buttery Breadsticks - The recipe is quite similar to the One Hour Pretzel recipe (above) but uses a bit less flour and uses all-purpose rather than bread flour, to yield a fluffier and softer result, which isn't quite as chewy since AP flour will never give you the chewy factor than bread flour will because it has less overall gluten, and the more gluten = the more chewiness.
Bottom line: Pick you favorite scratch dough recipe based on my descriptions although if it were me, I would opt for Option 2 or Option 3 (keep in strips and don't slice into bites) based on taste, text, ease, and quickness!