Remember back when low-fat diets were all the rage?
Those of us who bought into the “fat is the devil” fad didn’t really care about the quality of the food we were eating, as long as it didn’t have any dreaded fat in it.
The result: endless packages of “fat free” and “low fat” foods with a list of ingredients a mile long that were processed to death.
During the “fat is the devil” craze, I fell in love with snacking on pretzels and honey mustard dip. It was the perfect snack for me, because it was crunchy, salty, a little sweet and had almost no fat in it.
Once I saw the light and switched to a clean diet free of gluten (because gluten makes my stomach blow up like a balloon and turns my rear end into a rancid trumpet), I thought I’d never have a pretzel touch my lips again.
Sure, you can find “gluten-free” pretzels in stores. But the list of ingredients in the bag typically leaves a lot to be desired.
So I set out to find a clean pretzel recipe that’s easy to make and actually has some nutritional value in it.
YO…I found it!!!
THE RECIPE
One of the guiding principles for any recipe I add to my arsenal and share with you is that it has to be simple…no exotic ingredients that you pay big bucks for and only use once. Nor can it take hours to prepare.
This recipe totally makes the cut!
It simply requires chickpea or almond flour, arrowroot powder, coconut butter (coconut oil would work, too), eggs, apple cider vinegar, baking soda, Himalayan pink salt and water.
After the recipe, there are a series of photos to give you a good visual of how the preparation goes down.
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 Cups of Chickpea Flour (like this) or Almond Flour (like this)
- 1 Cup of Arrowroot Powder (like this) + a little extra for dusting
- 1 Teaspoon of Baking Soda (like this)
- 1 Teaspoon of Himalayan Pink Salt (like this) + extra for sprinkling
Wet Ingredients:
- 1/2 Cup of Coconut Butter (like this), Melted
- 1/3 Cup of Purified Water
- 2 Eggs from Organic, Free-Range Chickens
- 2 Tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a large baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper (like this). Or, you can use two moderately sized baking sheets.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients – flour, arrowroot powder, baking soda and salt – and mix it together. (I prefer using glass mixing bowls like these for recipe prep.)
- In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients – melted coconut butter, water, just 1 of the eggs and the apple cider vinegar. (NOTE: You will use the second egg later.)
- Mix the wet and dry ingredients together to create the “dough.” Use your hands to form it into a ball.
- Dust your hands and working surface with a arrowroot powder, and roll the dough into tubes that are about 1-inch thick.
- Use a knife to cut the tubes into 1-inch pieces (or bigger if you want larger pretzel bites).
- Place the pieces on the baking sheet(s) and bake for 15 minutes at 400°F.
- Once 15 minutes are up, take the pretzel bites out of the oven and turn the oven to broil (500°F). Whisk the remaining egg in a bowl and brush it over the pretzel bites. Then, sprinkle some salt on top. You can also add other organic spices/seasonings for special flavors. For example, I like dousing mine in garlic powder.
- Return the baking sheet to the oven and bake on 500°F for 5-7 minutes, or until the pretzel bites are golden brown.
The series of photos below show you how the process actually looks:
I had dry (uncooked) chickpeas on-hand, so I ground them up in my high-speed blender to make chickpea flour as shown below. (No worries, you can buy chickpea flour like this that’s ready to rock instead of going through the pain of making it yourself.)
I like using chickpea (AKA garbanzo bean) flour, because it’s loaded with protein and fiber compliments of nature.
Below is a look at the dry and wet ingredients being mixed separately. Remember, only mix in one egg and save the second one for later!
Below is a look at my ball of dough and my working area (I simply put a piece of parchment paper on the kitchen counter):
Below is a look at the pretzel “tubes” before I cut them into pieces. Yes they look like turds, and yes I find it hilarious.
Below is a look at the cut pretzel pieces ready for baking:
Time to go into the oven!
Below is the egg wash that’s ready to be brushed over the pretzels after 15 minutes of baking time.
Egg brushing and pretzel salting in full effect!
And below is the delicious finished product…get in my belly!
Be sure to store any leftovers in an airtight glass container (like these) and keep them in the fridge for freshness.
HONEY MUSTARD FOR DIPPING, ANYONE?
Want to take your pretzel taste experience to the next level? It’s super easy to whip up a batch of delicious honey mustard to make it happen!
All you need is organic dijon mustard and raw honey (or you could use maple syrup). You can also add some organic turmeric powder if you want a stronger mustard flavor.
WANT TO SAVE MONEY ON HEALTHY PANTRY STAPLES LIKE THOSE FOUND IN THIS RECIPE?
You can save a nice chunk of change on healthy pantry staples like gluten-free flour, arrowroot powder, coconut butter and apple cider vinegar by getting a membership to an online marketplace called Thrive Market.
Thrive Market’s prices are an average of 35% cheaper than retail. Everything is delivered right to your door instead of you having to hunt around for what you need. SCORE! Click here to check it out.
Cheers to enjoying pretzel bites that go great with a clean and gluten-free diet!
With love and gratitude,
Kandi
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