Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Just like those famous mall pretzels but BETTER!
Texture: Crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy inside.
Ease: Definitely more of a relaxing afternoon type of baking project, but absolutely achievable.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: Nostalgia in each bite.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
These Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites will give you instant nostalgic flashbacks!
This copycat mall cinnamon sugar pretzel recipe seriously transports you back in time.
My life from the ages of 13 to 15 was spent mostly walking in circles around the mall with my friends.
Free Baking Science Mini-Course!
From cookies that spread to undercooked brownies, this FREE 5-day Baking Science course helps you conquer common baking challenges and make bakery-worthy treats every time.
The aroma of Auntie Anne’s or Wetzel’s Pretzels was the primary scent of my early teenage years.
Of all the mall pretzels, the cinnamon sugar ones were my favorite. Especially if they came with a little tub of that sweet dipping sauce.
These are quicker and simpler to make than my Classic Pretzel Recipe, and sweeter than my more savory Soft Pretzel Bites recipe.
They’re perfect for dessert or a sweet snack!
Perfectly crisp on the outside but fluffy inside, each bite is delightful.
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Homemade Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites
How to Make Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites:
1. Make the pretzel dough: You only need a few basic ingredients, and luckily your stand mixer will do most of the work for you. After kneading the pretzel dough in your mixer, you’ll let the dough rise until it’s just about doubled in size.
2. Shape the pretzel bites: Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces, then roll each piece into about a 20-inch long log. Next, use a bench cutter to portion into about thirteen 1 1/2-inch pieces from each log.
3. Prepare the baking soda bath: This gives the pretzels their distinct pretzel taste and crust. Bring water to a boil, add baking soda, and dunk pretzel bites in for 30 seconds at a time. Then transfer the pretzel bites to parchment-lined baking sheets.
4. Bake the pretzel bites: Bake until golden brown.
5. Coat the pretzels in cinnamon sugar: A hefty pour of melted butter and a generous coating of cinnamon sugar finishes these babies off to perfection.
The Yeast
Both instant yeast and active dry yeast will work for these sweet Pretzel Bites. Just note active dry may require the dough to rise for a longer amount of time. To speed that up a little, sprinkle the active dry yeast over the warm water called for in the recipe and let sit for 5 minutes. This will activate the yeast more quickly but is optional.
If using instant yeast, just add in directly with the other dough ingredients.
Check out my full Active Dry Yeast vs. Instant Yeast article here.
Can I Make Regular-Sized Cinnamon Pretzels Instead of Pretzel Bites?
Yes. Follow the shaping instructions in my classic Pretzel Recipe here and bake for about 16 minutes.
However, I will say the taste and texture of this Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel recipe is much better when made in bite form, in my opinion. When I baked these as regular pretzels, there wasn’t enough cinnamon sugar coating in each bite and they didn’t have the same contrast of textures.
Can I Use a Lye Bath with This Recipe?
Though I highly recommend using a lye bath for my Classic Pretzel Recipe, these Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites were not designed to use a lye bath. The baking soda creates a softer texture more similar to mall-style pretzels.
What to Serve with Sweet Pretzel Bites
I’ve included my super easy Cream Cheese Frosting recipe below, which complements the sweet Pretzel Bites perfectly. Alternatively, place some bites in a bowl and top with:
- Vanilla ice cream
- Toffee Bits
- Salted Caramel Sauce
- Butterscotch Sauce
- Chocolate Sauce
- Or anything else you like!
How to Store & Freeze Cinnamon Pretzel Bites
Once the baked Pretzel Bites are tossed with the butter and cinnamon sugar, they really are best served immediately.
Alternatively, freeze the baked but uncoated Pretzel Bites in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.
To serve, thaw to room temperature, then refresh in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes before coating as the recipe instructs.
More Recipes You’ll Love:
- Classic Bavarian-Style Pretzels
- Garlic Parmesan Pretzels
- Soft Pretzel Bites
- Easy Chai Sugar Cookies
- Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts
Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Bites
Email This Recipe
Enter your email, and we’ll send it to your inbox.
Ingredients
For the pretzels:
- 1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
- 3 tablespoons (25 grams) brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups warm water (about 110°F)
- 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
- 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 4 1/4 cups (540 grams) all-purpose flour
For baking soda bath:
- 3 cups water
- 1/4 cup baking soda
For the cinnamon sugar coating:
- 4 tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter, melted
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
For the cream cheese frosting:
- 4 ounces (113 grams) cream cheese, completely softened to room temperature
- 4 tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon cream or milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (125 grams) powdered sugar
Instructions
Make the dough:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine all of the dough ingredients. Mix on low speed until combined.
- Increase speed to medium and knead for 7 to 10 minutes until the dough is elastic and smooth and doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl or your hands, adding a little more flour if needed.
- Place in a greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise until about doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Spray with nonstick cooking spray or grease with butter.
Shape the pretzels:
- Remove the dough to a clean work surface. Divide into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece against the counter or between your palms into about a 20-inch long log. Keep the remaining pieces covered. Only add flour to your work surface or dough if absolutely necessary.
- Using a bench cutter, cut about thirteen 1 1/2-inch pieces from each log. Be sure to not cut these too big, they will puff up in the oven! Place on the two greased parchment-lined baking sheets.
Prepare the baking soda bath:
- Bring the water to a boil (I like to use an electric kettle). Carefully pour the water into a large bowl (I use the bowl the dough rose in) and add in the baking soda. Stir with a wooden spoon to dissolve.
- Dunk the pretzels bites in the baking soda solution, starting with the ones you shaped first, for no more than thirty seconds, before gently removing with a slotted spoon back to the greased and lined baking sheets, spacing them out at least half an inch apart.
Bake the pretzels:
- Bake both trays at 400°F for about 12 to 15 minutes, alternating the trays halfway through the baking time for even baking, until golden brown to your preference.
- Let cool for 5 minutes before peeling away from the parchment paper.
Coat with cinnamon sugar:
- Place the cooked pretzels in a large sealable container. Toss with the melted butter. Add the cinnamon and sugar and toss to combine.
Make the cream cheese dip:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, butter, cream or milk, and vanilla on medium-high speed until very light, creamy, and smooth, about three minutes. On low speed, gradually add in the sugar and beat until fluffy.
- Coated pretzels are best served soon after making. Alternatively, you can freeze the baked uncoated pretzels. Thaw to room temperature, then refresh in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes before coating as the recipe instructs.
These are wonderful. I also used this same dough to make regular salt pretzels that I was craving and they are the best we have had. We have made pretzels right away and also refrigerated dough overnight and used the next day – just let it re-rise for another hour. They were great both same day and next day!
Could you make these with almond flour?
We haven’t tried that; however, if almond flour is all you have, I’d recommend looking for a recipe that specifically calls for it instead. We’d love for you to try our recipe as written for best texture and taste! 🙂
These were pretty fun and easy to make, in part because I had a helper. The part where you have to cut and dunk and arrange on pans was a little much needing to happen at once, so having another set of hands in the kitchen was really nice. These all disappeared quickly amidst requests for me to make them again. Delicious! Perfectly crunchy and sweet.
Can you freeze the dough if you don’t want to use it all
Hi Sally! We haven’t tried freezing the pretzel dough, but you can freeze them after baking! Tessa included tips for this just above the recipe here. Let us know what you think once you have given these pretzel bites a try! Happy baking 🙂
Question: When the water boils do I remove it from the stove then add the pretzel bites or do I leave it boiling on the stove and add the pretzel bites?
Hi Sally! After the water comes to a boil, you’ll carefully pour it into a large bowl (off the stove) before adding the baking soda. See step #7 for more details 🙂
As a thirteen year old who has never made a pretzel these were easy to make and tastes delicious. I made these pretzels for my German class for oktoberfest as a little treat, and everybody loved them!
Great recipe, easy to follow and clear instructions. My kids devoured it in less than 15 minutes. I agree, much better than the ones you buy at the shopping mall. Highly recommended.
I don’t know what we did wrong. After following the directions and taking them out of the oven, they tasted Horrible. They tasted a lot like metal. What did we do wrong?
I’m sorry to hear this, Leslie! That metallic taste would be from the baking soda. If you happened to leave the pretzels in the baking soda for longer than 30 seconds, it can result in an unpleasant, bitter after-taste. Try leaving the pretzels in the baking soda bath for just under 30 seconds next time and see if that solves the issue.
If I want to half the recipe, do I half ALL of the ingredients?
Hi Melissa! Yes, you can cut this recipe in half by halving all the ingredients. However, I would recommend keeping the baking soda bath as written so your pretzel bites can be fully submerged. Hope this helps!
Hi! Is there a point in the recipe where I could stop and leave it in the fridge overnight?
Hi Gisselle! We haven’t tried that, but it may work. You could try placing the dough, covered, in the fridge just after making it, then allow it to come to room temp and double in size the following day, and proceed with the recipe as written from there. Alternatively, check out the freezing instructions in the Tip Box just above the recipe. I hope that helps! Let us know how it goes if you give this a try. Happy baking 🙂
Can I use bread flour or does it need to be all purpose?
Hi Kaycee! We haven’t tried this recipe using bread flour, but that should work just fine – just note that this will give your pretzel bites a little more chewiness and a slightly heavier texture than if you were to use all-purpose flour. I hope that helps! Let us know what you think of these pretzels once you have given them a try 🙂