Homemade pretzels in the shape of a heart is the very best way to say “I love you”. Chewy, salty carbs are a love language all their own.
For Valentine’s Day, I’m going to skip the sweet snacks, and instead enjoy a soft, chewy, heart-shaped homemade pretzel.
I actually made these a few weeks ago when my newest valentine, Fiona, was being born. It was torture not to be at the hospital as we originally planned, so I occupied my time by baking these cute, heart-shaped goodies for the new parents to be.
I’ve made pretzels before, and I have to admit, its kind of a messy project. At least that’s the case for me. I’m not known to be the neatest person around, especially when it comes to cooking, so it might just be a personal flaw, but I find that somehow the baking soda water you dip these in seems to get everywhere.
You’ve been warned.
Messiness aside, making homemade pretzels is really fun (and REALLY delicious). I experimented this time around with different sizes. I mean, sometimes you don’t want a huge honkin’ pretzel. Sometimes you want just a bite sized treat.
Keep in mind if you’re going to make your pretzels heart shaped (or any shaped) they will puff and rise in the oven so make sure you leave enough room to account for that. I did have a couple that started out looking like hearts, but ended up looking like blobs.
I ate them anyway.
My favorite way to enjoy pretzels is dipped in classic yellow mustard. Definitely not what you would normally think of when you think of Valentines treats, but I assure you, The Hubs and my friends still felt the love.
Once again I’m linking up this month with my 11 other blog cohorts to bring you 12 awesome heart shaped treats. There should be something to please everyone on you love list this valentines day. Be sure to click through to see what everyone is creating!
Easy Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Hearts from Choosing Love
Sweetheart Popcorn from A Night Owl
Queen of Hearts Chex Mix from Bless This Mess
Valentine’s Jello Popcorn Balls from Mom Endeavors
Valentine’s Chocolate Chip Cookies from Around My Family Table
Heart Shaped Pretzels from Betsy Life
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Strawberry Maple Syrup from Eat Your Heart Out
Heart Shaped Strawberry Shortcake from See Vanessa Craft
Mini Heart-Shaped Monkey Bread from Home Cooking Memories
Raspberry Cream Tart from A Little Claireification
Rice Crispy Hearts from The Rebel Chick
Nutella Filled Conversation Hearts from Million Moments
Heart Shaped Homemade Pretzels
If you're looking to make some heart shaped party food this Valentine's day, may I suggest these homemade soft pretzels?
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 1 1/4 cups warm water
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup baking soda
- 4 cups hot water
- 1/4 cup kosher salt for topping
Instructions
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In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in 1 1/4 cup warm water. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
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In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two more tablespoons of water.
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Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes.
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Lightly coat a large bowl in oil. Place dough in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
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Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Grease 2 baking sheets.
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In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in 4 cups hot water; set aside.
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Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces.
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Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a heart shape. Once all of the dough is shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda-hot water solution and place pretzels on baking sheets. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
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Bake in preheated oven until browned, about 8 minutes.
More festive valentine’s day recipes
- Devil’s Food Cinnamon Bundt Cake
- Neapolitan Heart Shaped Cupcakes
- Mini Heart Shaped Pizzas
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courtney says
Hi Betsy,
Is my yeast that I use for my bread machine the same thing? Definitely making these!
-Courtney
Jess says
Those are so adorable, and I love homemade pretzels! Thanks for the awesome recipe!!
Tracey @ The Kitchen is My Playground says
So cute! My husband would LOVE these … probably better than sweets. Will have to give them a try.
Tracey @ The Kitchen is My Playground
Vanessa @ See Vanessa Craft says
LOVE this idea for my non-sweets liking kiddo!
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says
Love these!
Jenn says
My husband loves pretzels, I’m going to have to give this a try!
Brandie (@ Home Cooking Memories) says
While I like my fair share of sweet Valentine recipes, it’s so great to find “treats” for Valentine’s Day that aren’t a dessert or candy. These look beautiful!
Claire @ A Little Claireification says
Betsy these would TRULY win over my Husband’s heart. I have to try these! Pinned!
Wendy | Around My Family Table says
I’ve never made my own pretzels cuz they always seemed too hard. I think I could do this….they look so cute and not too hard!
Gurpreet says
I made these over valentine’s.. while they were delicious, the heart shape was a challenge.. they looked more like a lady body part 😉
betsy says
HAHAHAHAHA! That is the funniest description ever. Very “sexy” I guess for Valentine’s 😉
Victoria says
If I make these a few days ahead will they be ok? Alternatively, could you make the dough or form them and freeze them until you’re ready to bake?
Thanks!
betsy says
They will dry out just like any other soft pretzel. If you do make them ahead of time, I would suggest freezing them and reheating them
Jessica says
It seemed like a lot of flour so I set out the 5th cup and slowly added as I mixed. Glad I did since I only used like a tablespoon of it (I prefer incorporating flour into a too wet dough rather than water into a too dry). I also chose to boil the water before I added the baking soda (did about a 10 second dip per side) and fridgerated the hearts for about 5 minutes to get a nice shell. I sprinkled pink sea salt to finish them off.