Whole Wheat Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels (salty ones too)

Theory and reality are two different things. One presents the best laid plans and if all steps are followed correctly, the end result should be as the hypothesis predicted. Then, of course, there is reality. The unexpected factors that were not taken into account in the original theory.

There are at least two possible outcomes- one, the end result remains the same, or two, more likely, the end result will change. Such is the case with these soft pretzels. 

I made the dough and put is aside to rise. So far , so good. As time went on I noticed it was rising, but not to my expectations. Telephone rings- daughter arrives at airport from week long snowboarding trip. Last day of trip, last run, a fall on the ice- ouch! Knee swells up to the size of a very large grapefruit. Leave the house at 6:45 in the evening to pick her up. Go straight to the emergency room from the airport and wait in the emergency room until 1:00 a.m. ( I remembered at the last second before running out the door, to put the questionable dough in the refrigerator-what will be , will be.)

Enter the house at 1:15 a.m. and straight to bed. Next morning, I take the injured to work-can't push on the clutch with her leg- too painful. Finally arrive back home after a few errands and take the dough out of the fridge. 

Now the question is, work it or throw it? I decide to give it a try- no big loss if it flops. And..... it works! The pretzels come out just beautiful, with a  warm golden color. Half get the cinnamon sugar coating and half get the salt ( which is my favorite). 

Moral? Not sure, but sometimes reality and theory come together and produce a favorable result. Worth a try!

Next time, I 'll experiment without the reality (hopefully) as a factor and see what , if any, difference it makes.
You can find the recipe here, at Baked Sunday Mornings. Enjoy!

Bale Bars

The winter in Israel continues- that is, continues to look like spring. I've said many times before that I miss the four seasons I grew up with in Upstate New York. A distinct change from summer to fall to winter , then spring. Rain here is a scarcity and when it does rain, it's at the top of the news.

Certain kinds of food go with certain seasons- and then there is food that you can eat no matter what the weather outside. These Bale Bars are one of those. They remind me of compost type cookies where you put in anything and everything you may have in the house.  Now I know that is not what the original recipe calls for but sometimes you just have to go with your gut. This calls for a cooked mixture of sugar, cream white chocolate and peanut butter which you pour over and mix with peanuts and pretzels. No baking, just refrigeration and you've got a delicious sweet and salty snack (that is a bit difficult to stop eating, I might add!).

I 'm not a big fan of white chocolate, so I substituted dark instead. I also did not have enough pretzels, so this is where the compost cookie idea comes in. I took some Biscoff cookies and crushed them to small bits, not crumbs, and added them to the nuts and pretzels. Since the recipe calls for fleur de sel and the pretzels are salted, I decided to add raw peanuts instead of salted. Wise choice- the bars are plenty salty without the added salt from the peanuts. The result is a crunchy, salty, sweet snack that tastes  best (in my opinion) straight from the freezer, which is where I store them. Add a nice hot cup of coffee and snack away!
You can find the recipe at Baked Sunday Mornings.