Hello, Ham, Swiss, and Jalapeño Stuffed Pretzel perfection! Stuffed with spicy pickled jalapeños, shredded swiss, and black forrest ham, these are destined to make any day a little better! Fact: I’ve been on a soft pretzel bender lately. Well, mentally, at least. I’m obsessed! It all started a few months ago when I made those heart shaped chocolate dipped soft pretzels. I was such a sucker for them. They were soft, chewy perfection. Pretzel heaven! And once they ran out, the whispers inside my head – urging me to make more (and fast!) – began. Tooooooootally normal. Nothing to worry about here, folks… I was on the bus home from IKEA when it hit me – HAM —-> SWISS —-> AND JALAPEÑOS = THE ULTIMATE STUFFED PRETZEL. Yes, all caps totally was necessary there. And so ham, swiss, and jalapeños was exactly what these pretzels got stuffed with. And you guys, what a wonderful trio they make! Spicy, cheesy, and meaty? Can I hear a hellz yes? P.S. If you want to make these vegetarian friendly just leave out the ham. They’ll still be epic! I chose to top each pretzel with poppy seeds for a wonderful crunch bonus! Score. Just be sure to check your teeth after consumption 😉 Have you ever made homemade pretzels before? If not, please (please, please, please) don’t be intimidated. It’s actually quite easy! Yes… it’s a little time consuming. But the biggest chunk of time if when you’re waiting for your dough to rise, and you can totally stay busy (or lazy) with other things when that’s happening. And the results are so worth the wait! Below I have a few not so pretty but hopefully helpful step-by-step photos of the pretzel making process. Once your dough has risen, you’ll break it into 8 even balls. They’ll look something this.  You’ll roll each ball into a long rope – about 16″ long, to be exact. You can do this easily with your hands! Now you’ll roll your rope out so it’s about 4 inches wide. You can use a rolling pin here – a mini one works the best if you happen to have one. You’ll also want your fillings prepped and close by. Once you’ve rolled the dough out, you’ll sprinkle about 2-3 tablespoons of the filling along the dough, then fold it over jellyroll style, being very mindful to pinch and tuck any loose ends. Then you’ll take the piece of dough and shape it into a U. And then fold the ends over each other. Make sure you pinch the ends onto the bottom of the dough! Ta-da! You just made a soft pretzel. You rock. Now you just boil in a baking soda bath, slather in egg wash, and bake. You got this. These are best straight out of the oven – just be careful biting into them since the filling will be HOT! They also last up to 3 days stored in an airtight container… but I doubt they’ll last that long. I ate exactly 3 after putting my camera down, and C finished off the rest when he got home from work. We’re so bad! Totally worth every-single-bite. Ham, Swiss, and Jalapeño Stuffed Pretzels ——–> DO IT! xo