Pretzel Recipes
These salty snacks are delicious on their own, but we love to use them as breadcrumbs and add them to sweet treats. Using coarsely crushed pretzels in lieu of breadcrumbs gives crab cakes a super crunchy coating, or use pretzels to make the crust for a milk chocolate tart. Here, our best pretzel recipes.
Swedish Sugared Sweet Pretzels
A coating of butter and sugar makes these tender pretzels especially delicious; they're excellent with tea or coffee.
Slideshow: Perfecting Pretzels
German-Style Pretzels
These chewy pretzels from chef Hans Röckenwagner develop a shiny, professional-looking crust as they bake.
More Tasty Snacks
More German Recipes
German Soft Pretzel Sticks
"I've always been a fan of any food high in salt and starch," Grant Achatz says, "and soft pretzels right out of the oven are awesome." You can eat these slightly sweet, chewy, dark pretzel sticks plain or with mustard; Achatz goes for ranch dressing.
Slideshow: More Tasty Snack Recipes
Milk-Chocolate Tart with Pretzel Crust
This dessert from pastry chef Colleen Grapes, a tribute to the chocolate-covered pretzel, hits just the right salty-sweet note. Grapes mixes crushed pretzels with flour, butter, sugar and egg to make a crunchy crust, pours in a luxurious milk-chocolate filling, then sprinkles on more crushed pretzels as a garnish.
More Pies and Tarts
Mustard-Baked Chicken with a Pretzel Crust
This dish, from chef Ilene Rosen at the City Bakery in New York City, matches chicken with the classic NYC street-vendor combo: pretzels and mustard.
For a crisp topping, it's essential to use thick, hard pretzels, such as the sourdough or handmade versions.
Plus: More Chicken Recipes and Tips