August's Pre-Made Our Way...Soft Pretzels

I hopped on board for this month's Pre-Made Our Way hosted by the lovely Natalie of Oven Love. It is a great challenge....taking something you usually buy and make it yourself. I have made the PopTarts she had in one of her previous challenges so many times that I know the recipe by heart!! This month's challenge was Soft Pretzels. I have never made them before, and lately have been feeling like a Yeast Failure! But I rocked it! They turned out great! And the best part about making these......Jakob loved them! He has been a super picky monster these days so I was very happy to have made something that he would not only eat - but devour!

I could use some practice rolling the dough and braiding them into the perfect pretzel shape but I think for a first attempt that they are perfect!!

My different braiding techniques! LOL

The finished products....

Natalie has the recipe over on her blog Oven Love. Be sure to make these some time...they won't last long in your house!

Take Care,
Tania
Love Big, Bake Often

Tuesday's with Dorie...chocolate cream pie, my way!

Chocolate Cream Pie with a Layer of Caramel

in a Pretzel Crust!

I was really looking forward to this week's recipe. I love chocolate cream pie. I love Sonic's chocolate cream pie blended thingy....

When looking at the recipe I decided that a chocolate pie crust was not what I wanted to do...I needed to mix it up a little. So I went the salty sweet way....I decided to make a Pretzel Crust! I food processed up some pretzels, mixed in a little salt and sugar and some melted butter to bind it all together. I baked it and was happy when the second time around it held together as a nice tart crust! I also decided to 1/4 the recipe and make two little tarts.....better for my figure and I think they are just cute as can be! A whole chocolate cream pie has no place in my kitchen! And friends are too far away to be taking treats to them every week....so I plan it into my diet these days. It seems to be working.

Back to the pies..... I also decided that to go with the salty pretzel crust that there needed to be a layer of caramel. I think I made it a little too think...but we will see. This was the perfect chance for me to use some of the AMAZING Askinosie chocolate that I got in the mail a couple of months ago.....it is a Mexican 75% dark chocolate....do dark....see?

The chocolate cream in this pie is so rich...I LOVE IT! And I used some of my fantastic vanilla sugar to sweeten the whipped cream just a touch! Absolutely perfect. This pie is rich, creamy, chewy, salty, chocolatey and absolutely phenomenal. I will be making it over and over again.

Be sure to check out the other TWDr's here, and see all their wonderful creations.

And thank you to Kim, from Scrumptious Photography, for choosing this wonderful dessert.

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

Take Care,

Tania

Love Big, Bake Often