Game Day Pretzels – 3 ways!

This post is sponsored by SUPERPRETZEL® Soft Pretzels Products and SheKnows Media

It’s GAME ON! with these 3 winning Game Day Soft Pretzels recipes – Cheesy Crab Dip, Chunky Buffalo Chicken, and Pepperoni Pizza!  You’ll be the MVP of the day when you serve these!

This post is being sponsored by SUPERPRETZEL® Soft Pretzels featuring their Original 6ct box and their Softstix Cheddar Cheese Filled Soft Pretzel Sticks. All opinions of these ABSOLUTELY AMAZING DELICIOUS products are mine.

Growing up in Pittsburgh, football was a way of life. It was every part of your life as was going to work, grocery shopping, and church. Having 4 brothers that all played, my Friday nights were spent in the bleachers cheering them on as loud as I could. Saturdays I was outside with the youngest of my brothers holding the football tee for him for hours on end so he could practice that game-winning field goal. My family was so into football that my Dad literally built field goal posts in our one flat field. I can’t recall if that field was regulation size but my chubby little legs would tire when trying to run from one end to the other when my third brother ran drills and had scrimmages. And Sundays, well, they were meant for Mom’s homemade bread, watching football all day and eating “football foods” during the games. Oh, we still had a proper Sunday family dinner of say pot roast, mashed potatoes and the like but during the game, it was all about those football foods.

With the big game coming up, folks are already planning their festivities. If they aren’t lucky enough to score a ticket, they are settling for the next best thing – where to watch the game. Some may visit a sports bar while others may host a party at their house. But the one thing that is consistent regardless of where you watch it is the food. You want delicious, easy and something that you only need to use one hand to eat. I mean nothing is better than holding something yummy in your one hand while your other hand is in the air waving like a lunatic cheering on your team. Wait, sorry, I was talking about myself there. LOL

While I can’t help you get a ticket to the big game, I can help you make some seriously awesome dishes for it!  Now anybody can serve plain ol’ buffalo chicken dip, a bowl of pretzels and delivery pizza. Pfft – that’s so 1990!  You’re in an age where people are foodies. They want, and expect, unique, delicious and easy. That’s where these recipes  – thanks to the folks from SUPERPRETZEL® and I – come in!

So, who doesn’t love a hot, salted soft pretzel? I know this girl does and we won’t even discuss Mr. Fantabulous’ obsession with them. I always, ALWAYS have to have at least one box of these pretzels on hand. They do all the work for me so all I have to do is just heat and eat!  And the fact is, if you wanted, you could microwave them and have them even faster. BONUS!  These are found in your local grocery freezer section. Plus, check it out!  Head on over to their website and look for a special Coupon Promotion!  You can save .50 cents on a box of SUPERPRETZEL Original 6 ct! Download the coupon here (desktop only).

Let’s dish about these recipes:

1. Buffalo Chicken – the core ingredients to buffalo chicken dip is pretty universal: chicken, cream cheese, hot sauce, ranch, cheese. Nothing too difficult. But for these pretzels, you can’t use shredded chicken. It’s too fine. You need to roast a chicken breast then cut it into small pieces. You want the dip to have more body. This is what allows it to meld onto the pretzel and not all over the baking sheet. Also, I did not use blue cheese. You most certainly can but this girl won’t. I can’t stand the stuff. It smells like feet. Lovely, I know, but yuck.
2. Cheesy Crab – in the chef world it’s pretty much taboo to combine seafood and cheese. It just is ‘odd’ but when it’s a dip like this, it works and works exceptionally well. You need that binder to help hold it together as it bakes. And I know what you’re going to ask –  no, you should not add breadcrumbs. You’re not making a crab cake. Although, crab cakes do sound yummy right about now…
3. Pepperoni pizza – pretty much what it sounds like here, folks. Pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni, although don’t use the normal sized pepperoni. If your store carries it, buy the little pepperoni bits. But here’s a tip, if they don’t, get some of the bigger stuff and use a small utensil to cut out the circles. Orrrrrrrrrrrrr if you wanted, you can totally free-style it and cut it up into pieces with kitchen shears.

The biggest thing about the buffalo chicken and cheesy crab is that the cream cheese MUST BE SOFT!  Let it rest out to come to room temperature. It’ll make your life way easier when trying to mix it. You know what else makes your life easier?  These soft pretzels! Seriously you should see their videos on YouTube for some killer ideas on how to take them beyond the salt! Simple ingredients, delicious product – it’s a great go-to solution for parents when your kids want a snack. Plus when your friends or your kids’ friends stop over just whip up a batch of these in seconds and Voila!  Deliciousness is served!

As you can see, making these are pretty straightforward. What I found easiest to put the cheesy crab and buffalo chicken on the pretzels was to get a spoonful of the stuff, form it into a log (sort of) and then press it onto the pretzel. Both dips are hearty and thick so you won’t have a problem. It’s easier than trying to spread it on. Yes your hands will get messy but suck it up buttercup. You’re getting ready for the big game and your team needs you – er um, your family and friends need you to make this for them!

Let’s talk about these cheesy crab pretzels. I’ll be honest, I hadn’t heard of these until about 2 years ago. My first reaction was “Are you crazy? That’s weird!” but yeah… I’m an idiot (ok was) as they are AMAZING! My one job had me traveling a lot to eastern Pennsylvania. In that area, being so close to Maryland, fresh crabs were a normal thing. And given the area and abundance of the product, they had to come up various recipes to use it. It was my first trip there and I saw this as not only an appetizer but then an actual dinner portion. I asked my one friend what it was all about and she said, “Oh Lori, we have to get one! You’re in for a real treat!  We’ll split the dinner portion as you’re going to LOVE IT!” Not shying away from trying new foods I was game though it did sound weird.

Folks, what came out was nothing short of amazing. Have you ever seen those pretzels that are bigger than your head and fatter than your forearm? Well, imagine that covered with the most amazing crab you’ve ever tried in your life! I never did eat my actual dinner as I was too involved/consumed/in love with this thing. My friend was just beaming with pride as she loved sharing a local dish with me that I happily stole and brought back to Pittsburgh. This Cheesy Crab dip requires 2 things – jumbo lump crab and a seafood seasoning. Yes I know jumbo lump crab isn’t inexpensive but trust me on this guys, this is one thing you’ll DEFINITELY want to splurge on!

Now when I have a party I always try to make something for everyone. Well with this specific post, you can. You have your seafood lovers taken care of, your buffalo chicken fans looked after and now your pizza freaks (my besties!). I. LOVE. PIZZA. And to be able to incorporate pizza AND these SUPERPRETZEL Soft Pretzels – DUDE!  Plus let’s be real here, just look how super adorbs they are!  #ADORBS Now if you didn’t like pepperoni you can most certainly use other toppings but keep in mind, less is more. Don’t load a million things on or double sauce or cheese. The pretzels are the star of this dish and the toppings are there to just augment it.

It’s funny when I came home from the store I bought a few extra boxes of these pretzels and Softstix because I had to work on this shoot. So Mr. Fantabulous is watching me and he happens to see the box of SUPERPRETZEL Softstix Cheddar Cheese Filled Soft Pretzel Sticks and he makes a puzzled look. Now I have bought these a bunch of times before but full disclosure I normally don’t make them when he’s around. They are my “Me Day” treat when he’s at band practice. I’m not hiding them per se as they are easily found in the bottom freezer shelf, behind the petrified frozen block of mystery meat and in the container marked chicken bones but I “forget” that they are there when he’s simply around.

Shush, don’t judge me! I see you hiding your cookies in your box of prunes from your kids. Anyway, he’s like “What are these?  How come you bought these?” I explained that they were the base of my buffalo chicken pretzels. I said that SUPERPRETZEL took their signature Soft Pretzels and packed them with delicious, creamy cheddar cheese. With the dip now inside, your favorite simple snack just got simpler! He was like “Whoa! That’s genius!”

I chose to use the Softstix with the buffalo chicken dip as that makes the most sense from a cheese standpoint of all of these 3 toppings. HOWEVER, if say you had chopped cooked steak, onions and peppers you could totally put that on top of the Softstix and have a pseudo Philly-Cheesesteak pretzel!  OMG… SOOOOOOOOOOOO doing that with the other box I have hidden in plain sight (totally lying there).

A few more recommendations when making these.

1. Do not line the baking pan with foil as the pretzels possibly could stick as well as the toppings. Line the pan with one of those Silpat mats or parchment paper (not wax paper).
2. Next, do not use the included salt packet. Just put that in the freezer for another use.
3. When you remove the pan from the oven, let these cool on the pan for a minute or two as the cheese and toppings will be superhot. If any melted off to the side simply take a spoon or thin spatula to scoop it back on top. It’s cheese, folks, it’s supposed to melt.
4. To serve, you have a few options: you can totally leave whole (the SUPERPRETZEL) and serve on a platter or, allow to cool for 5 minutes then slice with a serrated knife to serve as appetizers. Just whatever you do, make extra as they are truly addictive.

So now that I’ve armed you with some killer recipes for the big game, go put on your favorite jersey, apply your face paint and go win yourself the Food MVP trophy!

Plus since we all love Social Media, make sure you check out SUPERPRETZEL online!

♥ SUPERPRETZEL Facebook
♥ SUPERPRETZEL Twitter
♥ SUPERPRETZEL Pinterest
♥ SUPERPRETZEL Instagram

Plus make sure you check out HASHTAGS #superpretzel #snacktivatekindness for more delicious ideas!

Game Day Pretzels – 3 ways!

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• Author: The Kitchen Whisperer
• Yield: 6-10

Ingredients

Cheesy Crab Dip Pretzels

• 8 ounces full fat cream cheese, softened
• 3 tablespoon sour cream, full fat
• 3 teaspoon seafood seasoning (creole or Old Bay)
• 4 tablespoon grated Grana Padano (or can use parmesan)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar, divided
• 1 teaspoon worcestershire
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1–2 teaspoon Sriracha (can use hot sauce)
• 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground mustard
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3/4 pound jump lump crab, picked through of shells
• SUPERPRETZEL pretzels
• 2 Green onions, chopped

Pepperoni Pizza Pretzels

• 1 cup pizza sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/4–1/3 cup mini pepperoni
• SUPERPRETZEL pretzels

Chunky Buffalo Dip Pretzels

• 8 ounces full fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup shredded yellow cheddar
• 1/2 cup ranch, regular
• 1/2 cup hot sauce
• 1 green onion, minced
• 2 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped small (not shredded)
• 2 boxes SUPERPRETZEL Softstix pretzels
• 1/2 cup shredded white cheddar
• 1 stick of celery, minced

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Instructions

Cheesy Crab Dip Pretzels

1. In a bowl mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, seafood seasoning, Grana Padano, 1/2½ cup shredded cheddar, Worcestershire, garlic, lemon juice, Sriracha, salt, mustard and black pepper until well blended. Gently fold in the crab trying to preserve the lumps as much as possible. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour. You want the mixture to be firm when you scoop it.
2. Preheat oven to 325F, rack in the middle. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper; set aside.
3. Place the pretzels on the pan. Scoop up about 1-2 tablespoon of the mixture and form it into a log. Place on top of the pretzel until each pretzel is fully covered in dip. Sprinkle over the remaining cheddar cheese.
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the dip is hot. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes on the tray. Use a spoon or spatula to scoop up any mixture that may have melted off. Just pile it back on top.
5. Plate and garnish with green onions.

Pepperoni Pizza Pretzels

1. Preheat oven to 325F, rack in the middle. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper; set aside.
2. Place the pretzels on the pan. Spoon about 2-3 teaspoon of pizza sauce on the top of the pretzels. Just line the top. Sprinkle on some mozzarella (less is more) then top with mini pepperoni.
3. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes on the tray before serving.

Chunky Buffalo Dip Pretzels

1. In a bowl mix together the cream cheese, yellow cheddar, ranch, and hot sauce until well blended. Stir in the chicken and onion until combined. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour. You want the mixture to be firm when you scoop it.
2. Preheat oven to 325F, rack in the middle. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper; set aside.
3. Place the pretzels on the pan. Scoop up about 1-2 tablespoon of the mixture and form it into a log. Place on top of the pretzel until each pretzel is fully covered in dip. Sprinkle over the white cheddar (buffalo chicken).
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the dip is hot. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes on the tray. Use a spoon or spatula to scoop up any mixture that may have melted off. Just pile it back on top.
5. Plate and garnish with minced celery.

Notes

1. All 3 recipes can be made on the same pan as I did or on different pans dependent on how many you’re making.

What do you like to serve for the Big Game? Leave me a comment and one lucky reader will win a $100 Visa Gift card.

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