Growing up, the only thing I really knew about the Amish was that they had long beards, wore funny hats, and drove around in a horse and buggy. When we moved to New Jersey, I learned that we only lived less than 2 hours from Lancaster, PA. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve grown fond of the Amish culture and goods they produce. Amazing quality pretty much sums up everything.

I learned shortly after moving to New Jersey that there was an Amish farmers market 15 minutes away. The first time walking in was quite overwhelming. There were so many amazing things to see.  I continue to frequent there often – quite honestly for the doughnuts. Ohhhh the doughnuts.

But for Skibbles, our toddler, it’s for the pretzels. As soon as we pull into the parking lot she screams “we at the pretzel place”. I always save getting the pretzel to the end so she has something to look forward too. And being quite honest, you can’t blame the girl. They are better than any other pretzel ever.  Soft and chewy, perfect amount of salt and butter, and some are even stuffed. Say What!?

The first time I realized they had stuffed pretzels, I had to try one. There’s pepperoni and cheese, ham, egg, and cheese, and bacon, egg, and cheese.  OMGGGGG.  They are amazing. But they are also $3 per pretzel log. With us now on a pretty strict budget, it’s not something we can do often. So I decided we needed to make them ourselves. I told Skibbles that we were going to make them and she was so excited. We went with mini pretzel bites instead of a big log so they were easier for her little hands and more probably so I didn’t feel bad for eating 12 pretzel bites! HA!

MMMMM. Heaven. Bacon egg and cheese pretzel. #amishA photo posted by Larisha (@wereparents) on Mar 26, 2015 at 7:58am PDT

I’ll admit that this is one of the more difficult recipes we’ve done for Mini Chef Mondays, however if you have an older child, it wouldn’t be. There’s still a ton of stuff that Skibbles was able to do herself. Mixing the dough together, separating the pieces out, sprinkling salt, and brushing on the butter were all super easy for her to do.  Stuffing them was more difficult, but we made it work! The part she loved the most was eating them though and who can blame her.

The end result was phenomenal.  So close to the original.

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Bacon Egg and Cheese Pretzel Bites

These Bacon Egg & Cheese Soft Pretzel Bites are stuffed to perfection!  They are a great recipe to get kids in the kitchen to help with! Great after school snack idea or breakfast on the go! 

Author: Larisha Campbell

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup warm water + 1 tsp divided
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 1/4 tsp yeast
• 4 1/2 cups flour divided
• 6 tbsp melted butter divided
• 1 lb bacon cooked and crumbled
• 7 large eggs scrambled
• 2 cups cheese we used 1/2 mozzarella and 1/2 cheddar
• 10 cups water
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 1 egg yolk beaten
• pretzel salt or coarse salt

Instructions

1. In a bowl, add warm water, brown sugar, and salt. Stir to combine.
2. Sprinkle yeast over top of water mixture and let sit for 5 minutes.
3. In another large bowl, add 4 cups flour, 3 tbsp melted butter, and yeast mixture.
4. Using a wooden spoon, stir to combine.
5. Using the remaining 1/2 cup flour, lightly flour a workspace, roll out dough and knead in remaining flour.
6. Knead for 5 minutes.
7. *Note: If using a stand mixer, add all the flour together at once and knead in mixer for 5 minutes.
8. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and tightly cover with plastic wrap.
9. Refrigerate overnight (minimum of 8 hours).
10. Remove from fridge and place chilled dough on a lightly oiled surface.
11. Cut dough into 8 equal pieces.
12. Take one piece and roll out into a 6 inch log.
13. Cut log into 6 even pieces.
14. Repeat with remaining 7 pieces to end with a total of 48 small pieces.
15. Roll out a piece into a circle about 4 inches wide and layer with egg, bacon, and cheese (about 1 tsp of each).
16. Seal the edges of each well.
17. Repeat with remaining 47 pieces.
18. In a large pot, boil 10 cups of water.
19. Once boiling, add baking soda.
20. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
21. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
22. Gently add bites to boiling water, careful not to overcrowd.
23. Let boil for 30 seconds and carefully remove to parchment lined baking sheet.
24. Mix egg yolk with 1 tsp water.
25. Brush yolk mixture on top of pretzels.
26. Sprinkle with coarse salt (lightly as the bacon will add a layer of salt).
27. Bake for 10-12 minutes until a deep golden brown color.
28. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter.
29. Wait until cooled to eat.
30. If any remain (unlikely), you can keep in fridge for 3 days or freeze and thaw as needed.

Products to make this recipe easier to make:

• Bench Scraper to evenly cut 
• Pastry Mat with measurements
  

I am hosting Mini Chef Mondays along with 10 fabulous bloggers! Read how Mini Chef Mondays started, plus how to link up!
Join our facebook group to find even more recipes and share recipes too!

Be sure to check out each of their Mini Chef posts as well!

1. Frozen Yogurt Fruit Bark Recipe // Courtney’s Sweets
2. Ham & Egg Cups // Momma Lew
3. Yogurt Dipped Frozen Banana on a Stick // Baby Loving Mama
4. Bacon Egg and Cheese Pretzel Bites // We’re Parents
5. Peanut Butter Stuffed Chocolate Covered Pretzels // Frugal Novice
6. Tips for Planting a Kids Vegetable Garden // Eating Richly Even When You’re Broke
7. Pastelillos de Carne (Puerto Rican Meat Turnovers) // Giggles, Gobbles and Gulps
8. 18 Mother-Child Bonding Activities // Step Stool Chef
9. Broccoli Mac and Cheese Bites // Vegging at the Shore
10. Slow Cooker Philly Cheesesteaks // O’Boy! Organic
11. Chocolate Milk Mini Fudge Pops // Can’t Google Everything