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.
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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.
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
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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 sea 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.
So good and easy to make. Couldn’t stop eating them!
This recipe is delicious and rewarding to make. Everyone who I made it for was a huge fan!
My picky daughter loved these!
I made this for a game night with friends and family. They taste like mini cinnamon rolls in your mouth when you pair it with the cream cheese frosting. The frosting is a must have, it just melts in your mouth with the pretzel bites.
I’m drooling just reading your comment, I may have to make these this afternoon haha! So happy you loved them!
Yum! These were delicious! My pretzel bites finished cooking at 6 min. I’m glad I didn’t bake at the minimum of 12 min because they would have burned. I have some experience with baking bread so I had a feeling 12 min would be too long.
Wow, what a difference in timing! Just to compare, did you have to reduce the timing as well when you made our Classic Soft Pretzel recipe? Thanks for the feedback, Esther!
Yes, I baked the soft pretzels for 12 min instead of 16. Next time I make the soft pretzels again, I’ll see if they’re done in 9-10 min. My baking sheet is cheap, thin and medium gray in color so I think that’s why they bake faster.
Gotcha, that could very well be the case, or maybe your oven runs hot as well? I use Nordicware, but I plan to make these this weekend just to see if our listed baking time needs to be expanded. We really appreciate your feedback with the timing!
So yummy! These were easy and delicious
Somehow I never thought of a sweet pretzel♀️
I thought they were good, the dough was super easy! But I prefer savory
Thanks for the feedback! Just to confirm, did you coat your pretzel bites in the cinnamon sugar? The pretzels should have been fluffy and buttery, with the outside coating contributing to the sweetness, especially when you add the cream cheese frosting to dip them in 🙂 If you prefer savory pretzels, be sure to check out our Classic Soft Pretzel recipe (with Beer Cheese Dip!) or our Garlic Parmesan Pretzels. Enjoy!
These were so good!! We couldn’t stop eating them!!!!! The cinnamon sugar was so good on top with the cream cheese frosting! Can’t wait to make them again!!
So happy to hear that!
These were so fun to make! I’ve never used yeast before and I am very new to baking. I was honestly putting this off because I was so intimidated to make these BUT this recipe was SO user friendly and SO MUCH FUN! I was so proud of myself and am so excited to keep making them! They do take time so plan out your time wisely.
Woohoo!! So happy this recipe was easy to follow and that you had fun making them!
Easy to follow recipe and they taste great!
Baking newbie here! If I wanted to make 40 instead of 80 bites, do I just half all ingredients? Which ingredients need to stay the same quantity?
Hi there! Yup, go ahead and halve all ingredients, except for the baking soda bath ingredients (water/baking soda). Those will stay the same. Enjoy your pretzels 🙂
Can I use a lye bath for these like the classic pretzels or do I need to use the baking soda bath?
Hi Pam! This recipe wasn’t designed to use a lye bath. The baking soda bath helps to achieve that soft texture more similar to the mall-style pretzels that we all know and love. I can’t wait for you to enjoy these!