Low Carb Keto Soft Pretzel Bites

•  3 cups part skim low moisture shredded mozzarella cheese
•  2 oz cream cheese
•  3 large eggs one egg is reserved for egg wash
•  2 cups superfine almond flour
•  1 tbsp baking powder
•  1 tbsp coarse salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together almond flour and baking powder. Set aside.
3. Add mozzarella and cream cheese to a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover the cream cheese with mozzarella so that it is not exposed in the microwave. Melt cheeses in the microwave at full power in 30 second intervals. Stir after each 30 seconds and continue cooking until cheeses are completely melted and form a uniform cheese dough. (See photo in post for reference). This should take around 2-2 ½ minutes total. Do not try to microwave the full time at once because some of the cheese will overcook. You can also melt the cheese over the stove in a double boiler.
4. Add cheese, 2 eggs (remember one of the eggs listed is for the egg wash finish at the end only), and almond flour mixture into a food processor with dough blade attachment. Pulse on high speed until the dough is uniform. The dough will be quite sticky, which is normal.
5. Wrap your pastry board with plastic wrap until the plastic wrap is taut. You should have the plastic wrap running across the bottom of the board so that the weight of the board will help keep the plastic wrap in place. The plastic wrap should keep your dough from sticking to the board. Lightly coat your hands with oil and divide dough into 8 equal parts. Roll each dough into ropes about 1 inch thick.
6. Using a sharp knife, slice dough into 3/4 inch wide pieces. You should have enough dough for approximately 74 bites. Place onto prepared baking sheet.
7. Add the final egg to a bowl and whisk. Brush surface of pretzel bites with egg wash. Sprinkle tops of pretzels with coarse salt.

   Bake pretzels for about 12 minutes in the middle rack of your oven, or until pretzels are a light golden brown. Set your oven to a low broil and cook for about 2 minutes. This will crisp up the exterior of the pretzel slightly, so that it resembles a soft pretzel crust. Watch your oven carefully during these 2 minutes as you don’t want to burn or overcook your pretzels. If you don’t care about crisping the exterior, you can skip the broiling and just bake for a few more minutes at 400F until the pretzels are dark golden brown.

   Nutrition Facts

   Amount Per Serving (0.125 of recipe or approx 9 bites, coarse salt topping not included)
   Calories 315 Calories from Fat 216
   Total Fat 24g37%
   Saturated Fat 7g35%
   Cholesterol 96mg32%
   Sodium 309mg13%
   Potassium 219mg6%
   Total Carbohydrates 8g3%
   Dietary Fiber 3g12%
   Sugars 1g
   Protein 18g36%