Trader Joe's Makes Pretzel Hot Dogs At Home A Breeze

To many, trader Joe's isn't simply a grocery store: it's a lifestyle. Many customers mark the year not by holidays or seasons, but in Trader Joe's seasonal and new releases. Spring is marked, not by the blooming of daffodils, but by the return of the store's Mini Lemon Sheet Cake (perfect for turning into a mini layer cake) and Mochi Cake Mix. When Trader Joe's releases a new item, it's often met with intrigue. Often, fans of the chain are quick to come up with the best possible use and preparation hacks for the new item to really make the most of it. It looks like Trader Joe's has quite the winner with one of its newest items: The Soft Pretzel Twist. Sold in the chain's bread section, these twists are long, soft, pretzel buns with large salt grains sprinkled on top. Fans were quick to grab the rolls, which cost only about $3.49 per six-pack.

The pretzel buns are the perfect treat to help ease you into spring time, and welcome in the baseball season (even if you don't live near a stadium). But there is a way that you can make them even better: Turn them into hotdog buns. All you need to turn the rolls into buns is to slice them length-wise and toast them. You can also, if you want to make the buns extra delicious, grill them alongside your buns in your pan or on the grill. Et voila! Perfect, easy pretzel dogs.

Making pretzel hot dogs with the new Trader Joe's Soft Pretzel twists is incredibly easy and yields tasty results. Of course, it isn't the only snack you can make with the new, soft pretzel buns. You can cut up the rolls into small pieces to use in a fondue or raclette cheese dip (also available at Trader Joe's). You can also use the buns as a sandwich bread, perfect for a simple ham and cheese or more intricate sandwiches. Thanks to its salt flaked top, it also makes a great base for sandwiches such as a turkey, brie, and jam sandwich. The salt on top will balance out the sweetness of the jam and the pretzel taste pairs especially well with brie cheese. Bonus points if you use Trader Joe's mini brie and cook it in a panini press. 

Then again, you can always take these buns in a sweeter direction. You can slice the buns into small pieces, coat in butter, and heat them in a pan. Then, once warm, coat the pretzels in cinnamon sugar. This will give you a soft, chewy, and perfectly sweet and salty treat, perfect for dipping in caramel sauce (homemade caramel is a nice touch, and easier than you think), or cream cheese frosting. You can even make your own Auntie Annie's sweet glaze dip to serve with your home made pretzel bites. When it comes to these pretzel rolls, the possibilities are endless.