Soft Pretzel Sticks with Pumpkin Beer Fondue

Have you ever been so tired you can’t even think? This happens to me pretty much every single time I go to write a post past 6pm. It’s like my brain just completely shuts off, and all I can manage to get out is, “This is good.” So, this time, instead of staring at my computer screen for the better part of an hour willing the words to come out like poetry, I uploaded the pictures and recipe (which I’m sure are all most of you care about anyways), hit schedule, shut my computer screen and settled into bed for a Fixer Upper marathon.

I don’t regret it at all.

This morning, I’m refreshed, alert, and ready to talk about soft pretzels with the most luscious, gooey, cheesy, perfectly fall-worthy fondue.

Kevin has been practically begging me to make homemade soft pretzels for months, but because I had a slight obsession with them a few years ago – evidenced here, here, and here – I wasn’t super excited or inspired to make them again. However, when he asked me very sweetly for what seemed like the hundredth time, I couldn’t say no.

Since I haven’t really incorporated pumpkin into many blog posts much this season, I knew I wanted to have some sort of pumpkin element in there. When I stumbled upon pumpkin ale I bought and never got to drink before I found out I was pregnant, I knew it would be the perfect pumpkin element in a cheesy dipping sauce for the pretzels.

The “sauce” though, isn’t really a sauce at all; it’s a thick, stringy, irresistibly cheesy fondue. I learned to make fondue years ago, by watching the waiters at The Melting Pot, and I remember being completely mesmerized by how fast it came together – and of course, how delicious it was.

First, a little bit of oil and garlic are cooked together, and in a classic fondue, a little bit of dry white wine is poured in and reduced, but here, we used that pumpkin ale, which lends a more bitter, savory taste. From there, a little bit of pumpkin puree gets whisked in, and then shredded fontina and emmental cheese coated in a little bit of flour, is slowly added in to the liquid. I like to add the cheese in three batches, just to ensure the cheese melts smoothly, if you add it in too quickly, you risk the cheese becoming on clumpy, unappetizing mess. Once the cheese has melted, it gets seasoned with a touch of salt and nutmeg and it’s ready for dipping.

Because a fondue has so much cheese, and has a tendency to solidify pretty quickly, it’s best to serve it in an actual fondue pot over a flame, or in one of those handy little crockpots.

Now, for the pretzels. If you haven’t made homemade pretzels before, let me assure you, they’re one of the easiest yeast-based breads to perfect. There are quite a few, but simple steps to getting the perfect soft pretzel, but the yield is somewhere around 16 pretzel sticks, making the process worth every bit of effort.

I won’t go into all of the nitty-gritty details of pretzel making, as I’ve detailed it in the recipe, but I do want to note that when you are forming your pretzels, keep in mind, that they expand, so while they may look too skinny at first, they plump up nicely in the baking soda and water.

They’re best served immediately out of the oven, but if you want to make them ahead of time, you can do so, and just pop them back into the oven just before serving.