Home Cooking with Jess – Pretzel Beer Cheese

Since the Super Bowl is right around the corner, I think it’s time you learn how to pretzel. And, of course, with pretzels comes beer cheese.  

The process to pretzel the dough is pretty simple. Put the dough balls in boiling baking soda water, pull them out and brush with egg wash, then sprinkle with salt and bake.  

There are so many things you can use to make “pretzels” and all of them I buy pre-made. The last time I made them, I read an article that a can of Pillsbury French Bread dough was the best one. I do think those tasted the most like a soft pretzel. But for this beer cheese dip, I’ll continue to use the biscuits. I really like the buttery flavor with this dip.  Make sure to buy the buttermilk biscuits and not the flakey ones. 

This beer cheese dip likely isn’t similar to the one you have tried previously. It’s a little cakier and not velvety smooth like the type you find at restaurants. But it’s still beer cheese for one simple fact – it contains beer. I prefer a lager for this dip and if I have Yuengling on hand, well, that’s what I use.  

That being said, I have used probably 5 or 6 different beers for this recipe.

If you’d rather not take the time to pretzel the dough, this dip is great with chips or pork rinds, but once you try the pretzeled dough, you won’t go back. 

Soft Pretzels & Beer Cheese:

Ingredients:

• 1 can of biscuits (Pillsbury or store brand)
• 1 1/2 bricks of cream cheese
• 1 bag of mild shredded cheddar
• 1/2 bag of shredded Mozzarella
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup of beer 
• 1 tbsp of water 
• 2 tbsp baking soda
• 1 tsp onion powered
• 1 tsp garlic powder  
• 1 tsp mustard (I like Dijon for this) 
• 1 tbsp of flake or coarse salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. 
2. Fill a pan half way with water, add baking soda and bring to a boil. 
3. Combine the 3 cheeses, beer, mustard, garlic and onion powder. 
4. Take the biscuits out of the can, cut each one in half and roll the halves into balls. 
5. Once the water is boiling, place the dough in the water and be careful not to crowd the pan. Do half at a time. 
6. The dough will start to expand and in 1 minute, use a draining spoon to take them from the water and put them on the outside edges of a casserole dish. 
7. Mix the egg and tbsp of water. Brush along the tops of the dough. 
8. Pour the dip in the center of the dish. 
9. Sprinkle the salt on the tops of the dough.
10. Bake for 40 minutes or until the dip is bubbly and the dough browns like pretzels. 

Eat up!