Pretzel Pillows

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees, and line two baking sheets with foil or parchment paper.
2. Fill a large soup pot 1/4 full with water, and add the baking soda.  Put the pot over high heat and bring the water to a boil.
3. Cut the pizza dough into eight pieces.  Roll, pat or stretch each piece into a rope and cut it in half, and then each half in half, and so on until you have 8 equal pieces per rope.   Use flour as needed to keep dough from sticking to hands or the work surface.
4. When all dough is cut into pieces, drop the pieces carefully into the boiling water (don’t overcrowd; do in batches.)  Boil one or two minutes, until they float to the top.  Remove the pieces with a strainer or slotted spoon, and place on a baking sheet.  They should not touch.
5. Bake pretzels for 10 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool for 2-3 minutes.  Serve with any kind of mustard or any pizza/pasta sauce – these can be dipped.  They are great with pesto or hummus.  For the chocolate topping, spread 1/4 teaspoon of the fudge sauce over the top, and sprinkle with a few salt flakes or crystals if desired.

Lowfat Chocolate Fudge Sauce

Whisk ingredients together in a medium bowl until no lumps remain.  Spread 1/4 teaspoon over each pretzel pillow, and add a bit of salt on top (optional.) Note: this sauce gets thicker and fudgier with time.  If you have leftovers… it’s also good for dipping fresh strawberries and other fruit!