Gouda Stuffed Pretzel Bites + Raspberry Pepper Jam

Gouda Stuffed Pretzel Bites with Raspberry Pepper Jam are the gourmet spin of your favorite bite-sized snack! 

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I got my wish, friends.  It’s finally feeling more like fall down here.

Leaves are starting (just starting) to get a hint of reds, oranges, and yellows.  The air is wonderfully crisp, sometimes.

So I’m lovin’ that I can finally cozy up, make batches of comfort food, and not feel guilty about going to bed earlier than children, because it’s finally dark a little bit earlier.

However, the 39° mornings have left me wondering how I call myself a Minnesotan.  It’s also left me wondering when I turned into a southerner (I mean, I’ve already pulled out the fuzzy socks and it’s only October!).

Still not sure about that one.

One thing I am sure of though is these Gouda Stuffed Pretzel Bites.  Hellooooo all of my favorite snack things wrapped in one and then smothered in one of my other favorite things – raspberry pepper jam!

I’m going to be bold enough to say they’ll soon to be all of your favorite things, too.

These bites are cheesy, pretzely, ooey-gooey goodness, and you can’t really argue with that.

The raspberry pepper jam is even better because it’s homemade.

While I don’t try to get all fancy and make homemade jam concoctions all the time, it was a necessity this time around.  Our local grocery store did not sell any such thing *picking jaw up off of floor*.

After my search, I returned to my usual self and remembered that everything is better homemade anyway!  

Since homemade really is better 182% of the time, I’d highly recommend making this jam on your own.  It uses already prepared raspberry preserves so the hard part is taken out of the mix already (is this homemade cheating?  I don’t know… but let’s roll with it).

I use Bonne Maman Raspberry Preserves — huuuuuge fan right here (purely my own opinion – they have no idea I exist, aka this is not sponsered).  I just tried Bon Maman for the first time a few months ago and couldn’t believe that I hadn’t ever tried them before.  If nothing else, they’re from France, and I love France – they’re also au natural with no preservatives and non-GMO.  My heart is singing.  I’m now finding every excuse to use them.  100% recommend them because I 100% love them.

Anyway… for this pepper jam, all you need to do is boil some lemon juice and water with a pepper, stir in raspberry preserves, and bam, you can call it homemade, right?!

Raspberry Pepper Jam is made – check!

Now I had to add gouda to the bites because, um, do I really need to say why?

Because gouda is delicious.

You do need to be careful when folding the pretzel dough over the gouda; it’s super important to make sure you’ve sealed it as best you can, otherwise your cheesey goodness will seep out and turn crisp on your baking sheet.

Which really isn’t so bad if you’re into the whole crisp cheese thing, but kind of defeats the purpose of cheese stuffed pretzels.  

While the pretzels themselves are a little more time intensive, I promise you it’s worth it!

My strategy is to mix, clean up while the dough is resting, roll/cut/boil/bake the bites, clean up while baking.  By the time they’re done, I’ve got a clean kitchen and a crowd-pleasing snack.

Q: What’s your favorite way to snack?!

Gouda Stuffed Pretzel Bites with Raspberry Pepper Jam

Gouda Stuffed Pretzel Bites with Raspberry Pepper Jam are the gourmet spin of your favorite bite-sized snack!

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Appetizer

Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Author: Becca Mills

Ingredients

 

PRETZELS:

• ▢ 1 1/2 cups warm water
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 package active dry yeast, 2 1/4 teaspoons
• ▢ 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• ▢ 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• ▢ 4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1-2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• ▢ 4 quarts water
• ▢ 1/2 cup baking soda
• ▢ 1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water
• ▢ Coarse sea salt
• ▢ 8 ounces gouda, diced into 1/2 inch cubes

RASPBERRY JAM:

• ▢ 1 small lemon, juiced
• ▢ 1-2 teaspoons water
• ▢ 1 serrano pepper, sliced in 4ths, length wise, but only 3/4 of the way up to leave the top in tact (see notes)
• ▢ 1 - 13 ounce jar raspberry preserves

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Instructions

 

PRETZELS:

• Combine water, sugar, yeast, and melted butter in a standing mixer bowl with a dough hook. If you don't have an electric mixer, use a wooden spoon and mix by hand. Let stand for 5 minutes.
• Add flour and salt; mix on low speed until combined. Increase to medium speed and continue mixing until dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl. If dough appears wet, add 1 Tablespoon of flour at a time. I generally add 3-4 additional tablespoons depending on the humidity, temperature, etc. Always start with 4 1/2 cups and work your way up.
• Place dough on a floured surface and knead into a ball.
• With a paper towel, rub vegetable oil in a large bowl. Add dough and turn over so dough is coated with oil from the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in warm room for an hour. Dough will double in size.
• Pre-heat oven to 425°F.
• Place dough on a flat surface; divide into 4 equal pieces. Roll each part into a long rope, approximately 1 inch in diameter.
• Cut the ropes into one inch pieces. Take the bite and flatten out with thumb. Put 1 piece of diced gouda in middle of dough bite and wrap dough securely around cheese.
• Boil water in large stock pot; whisk in baking soda.
• Boil approximately 15 bites in water-baking soda solution at a time. Boil for 30 seconds; the bites will begin to float once ready. Don't leave them in any longer or they will get a metallic taste! Remove with slotted spoon and place on baking sheet, making sure they do not touch.
• Brush top of boiled bites with the egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown. Move to cooling rack and serve warm.

PEPPER JAM:

• Heat water, lemon juice, and serrano pepper in small saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Simmer for approximately 5 minutes.
• Remove pepper.
• Add raspberry preserves and whisk together.
• Bring to low simmer and continue to simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and whisk occasionally until mixture has thickened.

Notes

To cut serrano pepper: about 1/2 inch from stem, insert knife and cut lengthwise, all the way through. Turn pepper a quarter of the way and slice through the same way. This will leave you with 4 sections, still connected by the stem. This allows for easy removal of the pepper after it's boiled with water and lemon juice.

With one serrano pepper, the heat is there but not overpowering. If you like a lot of heat, use 2 or 3 peppers. Seeds will fall out during the boiling process, which is ok!

Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided for this recipe is only an estimate. The accuracy of the facts listed is not and cannot be guaranteed.

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review in the form below. I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!

Pretzel recipe adapted from Bobby Flay.

This recipe is part of our State Fair Foods to Make at Home roundup. Check it out!