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Creepy Soft Pretzel Eye Balls

Did you know that October is National Pretzel month?  Who knew?  Well here are some pretzels that celebrate the spooky season!

eyeballs

Are you ready for some tasty eyeballs??

What you need:

How to Do it:

Place the water and the cream in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Make sure the mixture is warm, but not too hot.  Stir in the salt and sugar, then sprinkle the yeast on the top.

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Let it all set for about 5-10 minutes, or until the yeast is bubbling.

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Using the hook attachment of an electric mixer, slowly stir in the flour until it is a stiff dough.  Continue to run, allowing the hook to knead the dough for about 3 minutes.  (You can also do this by hand, but you will need to add about 5-8 minutes onto the kneading process).

 

Remove from the bowl and place on a flour covered surface.  Knead by hand for about 5 more minutes.

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Clean out the mixer bowl and spray or rub with oil.  Place the dough in the bowl and turn once, coating both sides lightly with oil.  Cover and put in a warm place for about 1-2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.

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Once the dough is ready, bring a large pot of water to boil and add the baking soda.  Shape the dough into round “eyes” (about 1  1/2 inches) and set aside.

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You can also shape them into bones by rolling long and pushing in the ends.

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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Drop the shapes into the boiling water for about 30 seconds.  They will rise to the top when they are ready.  Remove with a slotted spoon and set on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  (They’ll look a little like dumplings at this point – and they will be sticky!)

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Sprinkle with coarse salt and bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown.  Allow to cool.

To color the eyes, use watered down food color – about 3 Tablespoons of water to 1-2 drops of color.  Use a flat ended toothpick to color the iris of the eye.  Then, using red food color, use a pointed end to put a drop in the iris for the pupil and run the tip down the sides in lines to make the veins.

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Dip in ranch that is colored red!

Makes about 3 -4 dozen eyeballs (or bones)!

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