PRETZELS WITH BEER CHEESE DIP

Need a perfect appetizer to serve to friends for a game night or while watching the game. I got you covered. What’s a better combo than hot, soft pretzels with beer cheese dip? Nothing.I mean the gooey sauce dipped into pretzels are just perfect for an easy and quick throw together dish. If anything pairs well with beer, it’s a salty snack—like pretzels.

Today is National Pretzel Day, how will you celebrate National Pretzel Day? I hope it’s with this recipe and a cold brewsky.

Making cheese sauce at home is not difficult. It’s actually one of the easiest and quickest little recipes around. There is no excuse to buy anything from a can or from a jar. Homemade cheese sauce, made from real cheeses, is the only way to go. Plus, it tastes so much better. All you have to do is throw the ingredients together, mix and bake. That’s it. Easy peasy.

If I was ambitious enough I would make the pretzels myself too, but sometimes I just don’t want to be and I’m ok with that. When I can get these soft pretzels and all of the other great ingredients from my local Fred Meyer, part of the Kroger family of stores, to cut on prep time, I’ll take it. I also use these pretzels a few different ways besides dipping them in cheese. Cut them in half and make a delicious breakfast or lunch sandwich. You must try that too, so good.

But, for this recipe, all you have to do is mix all of the cheeses, beer and green onions together along with the spices and pop them in the oven. Heat up the pretzels in the oven along with the dip to heat them up a bit to get that nice crust a bit hot and still soft and yummy on the inside. Then dip away and enjoy.

Back to the beer cheese….It’s thick and cheesy and has the perfect amount of bite to it from the cheddar, beer and spices. Using Widmer Brothers Hefe beer adds so much depth of flavor to the cheese. The combo of cheddar, paprika and the beer makes this a standout cheese dip. This is the kind of cheese dip you’ll want to keep dunkin’ into, so if you’re against double dipping, get over it and when you dip, I dip you dip.

Something worth noting is the importance of your beer being at room temperature. This is SO important. Adding cold beer to a cheese sauce will break the sauce resulting in a frothy pool full of curds. No bueno. So don’t do it, please.

Another thought came to mind after I made this dip is, you can totally add in some jalapeno for a kick or bacon pieces for a smokey flavor and make it even more sinful and delicious. Don’t you think that would be good?

I love serving this dip right from the oven, when it’s nice and hot. But this cheese sauce keeps well covered tightly in the refrigerator for about 1 week. Just heat it up before serving – it’s a great item to make ahead before the guests arrive. And how cute are they in little individual oven proof containers I baked mine in? Can’t wait to hear what you think of this recipe.

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PRETZELS WITH BEER CHEESE DIP

Need a perfect appetizer to serve to friends for a game night or while watching the game. I got you covered. What's a better combo than hot, soft pretzels with beer cheese dip? Nothing.I mean the gooey sauce dipped into pretzels are just perfect for an easy and quick throw together dish. If anything pairs well with beer, it’s a salty snack like pretzels.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Author: Lena Gladstone

Ingredients

• 1 cup, divided Simple Truth Organic Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• 3/4 cup Simple Truth Organic Shredded White Cheddar Cheese
• 4 oz Simple Truth Soft Cream Cheese
• 1/4 cup beer, I used a Belgian Style beer
• 1 tsp Private Selection garlic powder
• 1 tbsp Private Selection paprika
• 5+ 1 extra green onions, green parts chopped finely, plus 1 more for after baking
• 4-6 bakery fresh soft pretzels

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• In a medium bowl, stir softened cream cheese until smooth. Add the grated cheddar cheese and 3/4 cup of the grated mozzarella, stir to combine.
• Add the paprika, garlic powder, beer and green onions and stir until completely mixed.
• Scoop a few spoonfuls into 4 small baking dishes or one larger one and sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of mozzarella on top.
• Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until melted and top is golden.
• Half way though, add in the pretzels to heat up.
• Take pretzels and dip out of the oven, garnish the dip with 1 finely chopped green onion and serve while both are warm.

xoxo,
LENA

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If you give my PRETZELS WITH BEER CHEESE DIP a try? Let me know what you think. Leave a comment and don’t forget to take a picture and share it and tag it with #lenaskitchenblog on Instagram! I love seeing what you create.

Thank you for supporting the brands that I enjoy working with. This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Fred Meyer. The opinions and text are all mine.