Taking the time out of my busy schedule to bake hand-made goodies is part of my week!  It’s repetitive, relaxing, and rejuvenating!  Kneading, mixing, creating, shaping..  it’s a creative outlet for a busy mom with no very much time to spare!  Plus, then my kids & I get to eat my creations, so really, it fulfills all my passions: art, food, and love!

Baking with the kids is always a bit more challenging than without them, but at least I can restrain the baby’s sticky fingers from getting too involved!  I like to limit his interaction with my dough to eating it once it’s cooked!  Heeheee!  And how do I keep such a busy “helpful” little fella out of my task?  By slinging him on my back in our beloved Beco, of course!  From his perch on my back, Baby #5 can see everything, smell everything, just not TOUCH everything!  He knows that when the oven timer dings, he is about to be given a treat and he expectantly signs MORE and waits patiently for his yummy baked good to cool!

Easy as pie to make (little baking humor there!) are my favorite pretzels!!!  After discovering a simple pretzel recipe, I made a few amendments, and developed a treat version also, perfect for Valentine’s Day!  Remember, this recipe doesn’t make traditional Bavarian pretzels, but kid friendly, delicious doughy pretzels that you can make in batches for special occasions, school parties, and just for your own family’s enjoyment!

PAXpretzels – will make 8 large or 10-12 small

1 teaspoon instant yeast

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 tbsp cinnamon (less or more depending on your love for cinnamon)

1 cup warm milk (1 minute zapped in the microwave)

2 1/2 – 3 cups all-purpose flour (add more if the dough is still wet)

Preheat to 425 degrees & set a pot of water to boil.

Combine & mix the first 4 ingredients.

Start adding in 2 cups of flour, and add more slowly while stirring (beware the white poof if you add the flour too quickly!)

You’re looking for your dough to go from a thick batter to a bread like dough that you can hand knead.

Spread a handful of flour on your clean (no children’s tongues have licked it, please!) surface, and hand knead your dough for 5-10 minutes until the dough becomes smooth & satiny.

Cut the dough into even pieces and roll into short snakes.  Let the dough relax for 10 minutes, and stretch the snakes longer.  Shape into pretzels, roll into cinnamon roll shapes, or pinch the middle and curl the sides around into hearts.

Boil each pretzel for 5 seconds and place on a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle each PAXpretzel with a cinnamon sugar blend.

Bake for 8-15 minutes depending on the size of the pretzel! Eat as soon as you can without burning your tongue!

All done, mama!

Aren’t they BEE-You-T-FULL???

A yummy heart just for my little love!