Crazy Tasty Pretzels

Or awesome pretzels. Or delish pretzels. Or whatever-the-heck-you-wanna-call-'em-because-I-have-no-idea-if-they-actually-have-a-name-or-not pretzels. But they're really gosh darn yummy.

I first tried these when a coworker at JCPenney brought some in for a snack for herself one day. We were working back in the stockroom and she offered me some. I was addicted from bite one. Seriously addicted. Once you start nom-ing on these things, there's no end in sight. I asked her for the recipe and found it to be incredibly simple; it only has 4 ingredients after all. I'm not sure exactly what type of pretzel she used in the batch that I first sampled; I haven't tried them with sourdough but am thinking maybe my next round will be with them. I've tried small ones and big ones, twists and sticks; they're all equally good. The key here is time. You can't make and eat them at the same time --- they taste pretty icky at first before the oil and seasonings have absorbed in. Just wait though, and you'll be oh-so-pleasantly surprised by the final result.

I like to make batches of these around the holidays and include them in gift baskets/bags for coworkers, family and friends. They're a nice addition to all the sweet treats that come with the holidays. They're great at any time of year though, trust me. Mmmm, yes, the more I think about, the more the sourdough trial run is calling my name. If you try these out, let me know what you think of them!

Crazy Tasty Pretzels (because I had to name them something!)

1 bottle popcorn oil (butter flavor if they have it)
30 oz. pretzels (give or take, a little more or less won't kill ya)
1 pkg. ranch dressing powder
½ tsp. lemon-pepper seasoning

Combine all but pretzels until well blended. Add pretzels and stir to coat. Stir occasionally for 24 hours. Best 1 day later.

There, that's it. How simple! I can tell you from experience that the popcorn oil I used to use is no longer made (or at least I haven't been able to find it in WI or MD, therefore I assume it's just gone for good.) It was a very orange color (yes, very artificial) and very buttery in flavor (which is what you want.) I've only been able to find one kind now and I can't even remember what brand it is these days. It's still good, just not as buttery as the good ol' stuff I had when I first started making these.

Another thought just popped into my head: my friend recently pointed out to me that they make butter flavored pretzels (seriously, I had no idea until May of this year.) I bet those would be great in this recipe. Now I'm gonna have to try a recipe with those and a recipe with the sourdough. Good thing Buppy always has hungry, appreciative coworkers!

A last little thought here: I bet a bit of dill weed sprinkled in would be a fantastic addition too. Enjoy!