Brown Sugar
Bacon-Wrapped Pretzels
Sweet, salty, crispy, chewy — all at once. Soft pretzels wrapped in bacon, coated in brown sugar, and air-fried until perfectly caramelized. Game day, party night, or a Tuesday when you deserve a treat.
Sophia's Notes
- For long pretzels, just coat one side with brown sugar — all the way around can be too much. For pretzel balls, go all the way around, they can handle it.
- 8–10 minutes in the air fryer is the sweet spot. You want the bacon crispy and the sugar caramelized but not burnt.
- These work with any soft pretzel shape — long sticks, balls, even the big round ones cut into pieces. Whatever you have.
- “Brown sugar is what they used to call me.” — Sophia
Ingredients
- soft pretzels (long/stick style or pretzel balls)
- bacon strips (1 per long pretzel, ½ per pretzel ball)
- brown sugar, enough to coat
Scale to however many you're making — the ratio is always 1 pretzel : 1 strip of bacon (or ½ strip for balls) : brown sugar to coat.
Sophia's Notes
- For long pretzels, just coat one side with brown sugar. For pretzel balls, coat all the way around.
- 8–10 minutes in the air fryer. Bacon crispy, sugar caramelized, not burnt.
- Works with any soft pretzel shape — sticks, balls, big rounds cut into pieces.
- “Brown sugar is what they used to call me.” — Sophia
Instructions
- 1
Wrap the pretzels
For long pretzels, wrap one full strip of bacon around the pretzel from one end to the other. For pretzel balls, use a half strip and wrap it snugly around the ball.
- 2
Coat with brown sugar
Press the brown sugar into the bacon. For pretzel balls, coat all the way around. For long pretzels, Sophia does just one side — going all the way around can be a bit much, but try both and see what you like.
- 3
Air fry until caramelized
Air fry at 375°F for 8–10 minutes until the bacon is crispy and the brown sugar has caramelized into a golden crust. Keep an eye on them toward the end.
- 4
Let rest and serve
Let them sit for a minute before serving — the sugar is molten hot straight out. Then eat them immediately. They’re best when the outside is still a little crunchy.
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