Santa's Potato Pretzels With Eggnog Cream

Directions

1. MAKING THE DOUGH

   Peel and chop potatoes into medium dice chunks and place in a small pan, covered with cold water over high heat. When potatoes reach a boil, turn the heat down to medium and simmer for about 10 minutes or until you can easily pierce through the pieces with a small paring knife. Drain, mash and cool in the refrigerator for 10-15minutes.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, yeast, sugar, cinnamon and mashed potatoes with a fork. It’s okay if there are small bits of potato in the mix, they will get incorporated when you knead the dough. Use a large spoon mix in dried fruits, nuts and orange zest.

3. Add water and bring together the dough as much as you can. It will still be somewhat dry. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter. Knead for3 minutes or until all the ingredients are well-incorporated. This dough is slightly tacky, so you may need to dust it with a little flour as you’re kneading it. (Always work with clean, dry hands so you don’t end up putting dry bits of dough back into the final ball of dough).

4. Spray a large bowl with pan spray and place dough into it. Toss to coat and cover with a layer of plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Place ina warm spot and let rest for 10 minutes. 

5. SHAPING THE PRETZELS

   Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a light coat of pan spray. Set aside.

6. If you have a kitchen scale, weigh out3 oz orabout1/3 cup balls of dough. Roll each ball out with your hands into a long piece measuring 12 inches. This works best on a dry counter, flouring your hands if needed to keep the dough from sticking. I like to begin by rolling the ball with the palm of one hand and then using both hands and my fingers to roll and stretch the dough into a long strand. 

7. To make the pretzel shape, make a “u” shape with your strand and then cross each end to the opposite side and press to seal. Repeat this with each ball of dough and place onto the baking sheet. When all the dough is formed, lightly spray the pretzels with pan spray and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot for 45 minutes.

8. Preheat oven to 475°.

   Whisk egg with water in a small bowl and set aside. When pretzels have finished rising, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with colored sugar and candies of your choosing. (Crystal sugar can be dyed with a few drops of food coloring).

9. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for another 3minutes. If you have any remaining egg wash, you can give them a second coat during the final minutes of baking. Remove from the baking sheet and onto a cooling rack. Serve warm with eggnog cream.

10. MAKING THE EGGNOG CREAM

    In a large bowl, whip softened cream cheese on high speed with a blender until smooth. Turn blender speed down to medium and pour in eggnog first, then powdered sugar. Blend until creamy and keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon and orange zest.