The other day I was exploring topics for our Cook'n newsletter articles and ran across a site that introduced me to 27 different things I could do with pretzels. I dropped my jaw. Some people have a LOT of time on their hands, but my hat's off to 'em. While there's not space to include all 27 ideas, I do share 6 drool-worthy things you can make with one of the most versatile snack foods EVER!

1. From a clever cook at a site called How Sweet It Is, comes chocolate-covered marshmallows rolled in chopped pretzels. The ultra sweetness of the chocolate and marshmallow benefit really well from the saltiness and crispiness of the pretzels.

2. The Pioneer Woman (from the website of the same name) says all you need for this award-winning indulgence are mini pretzels, caramels, pecans, and some kind of chocolate-a good milk chocolate would be perfect. She lays small pretzels out on a silpat or parchment sheet and tops each one with a Kraft caramel square. She melts this in a 325°F oven for 4 or 5 minutes (or just until they get soft but don't ooze all over the place). Then she pushed a pecan atop each caramel-pretzel combo. On another silpat or parchment sheet she dropped dollops of melted chocolate (chocolate chips in a double boiler, for instance). Finally, she placed the pecan-caramel-pretzel combo atop the little blobs of melted chocolate and let them cool.

3. Barely Baked Pretzel and Butterfinger® Cheesecake. Oh my, found on a cute website, Back to Her Roots, comes this very decadent way to use pretzels: Author and cook, Cassie, chose to reserve some of the crust mixture to stir into the filling to add a bit of crunch and texture (just FYI).

For the crust:

15 mini Butterfingers

1/2 cup pretzel twists

2 tablespoons melted butter

For the filling:

1/4 cup cold water

1 packet unflavored gelatin

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup peanut butter

1/3 cup granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup of Butterfinger and pretzel mixture

For the ganache:

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350°. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the Butterfingers and pretzels. Pulse until well-chopped, but not dust.Remove 1/2 cup of mixture and set aside.

Still in melted butter to Butterfinger/pretzel mixture until well-combined. Press mixture firmly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan to form the crust. Bake for 7-8 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

To prepare the filling, mix the water and gelatin in a small, microwave safe bowl and set aside to bloom.

Meanwhile, beat heavy cream on high in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until medium stiff peaks form. Set aside.

In another mixer bowl, combine cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, salt and reserved Butterfinger/pretzel mixture. Beat on medium until smooth. Set aside.

Place bowl of gelatin in microwave and heat at 50% power for 10 seconds. This is to smooth out the gelatin mixture. With the mixer on low, slowly stream in the gelatin mixture to the cream cheese mixture until well combined. By hand, fold the whipped cream in with the cream cheese mixture. Spread filling evenly into the springform pan.

To prepare ganache, combine chocolate and heavy cream in a double boiler over low heat. Once chocolate is melted and combined with the cream, remove from heat and drizzle over cheesecake.

Place cheesecake in fridge and let chill for at least 3-4 hours or until set up. Before serving, move ring of springform pan.

4. Peanut Butter Pretzel Granola Bars. All you do is add chopped pretzels to your favorite granola recipe (in a large bowl). The creator of this treat also added 2/3 cup of mini chocolate chips. Then melt together 2/3 cup of peanut butter, a heaping 1/3 cup of honey, and 3 tablespoons of butter. Add a couple teaspoons of vanilla to this mixture and then pour it over your granola mix and fold it all together well. Pour this into a well buttered 9x13 pan and bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes. Let it cool before cutting into bars. This came from the same gal that created the gussied-up marshmallows (above).

5. How about Cream Cheese Strawberry Pretzel Dessert? Ashley at Make It-Love It came up with this beauty. It's one of my favorite desserts. And BTW: It's just as awesome with pineapple tidbits, blueberries, or peaches!

Creamy Strawberry Pretzel Dessert

8 ounce bag of pretzels, crushed

5 tablespoons sugar

3/4 cup butter, melted

2 cups boiling water

1 (6 ounce) package strawberry gelatin

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

3 cup whipped cream (stiffened with 1 teaspoon of cornstarch or arrowroot powder)

3 cups sliced strawberries, fresh or frozen

2 cups heavy whipping cream (optional)

½ to1 cup powdered sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 F. Crush pretzels with a rolling pin or food processor. Combine crushed pretzels with 5 tablespoons sugar and melted butter. Press pretzel mixture into the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking pan to form a crust. Bake 7 to 10 minutes until lightly browned. Cool completely. While the crust is cooling, combine 2 cups boiling water with gelatin in a bowl. Stir until dissolved and let cool to room temperature. Set aside. Using a mixer, beat cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, and whipped topping, until combined. Spread evenly over cooled crust. Place in fridge until needed. Add strawberries to cooled gelatin and place in fridge to let it thicken slightly. Then spread strawberries and gelatin over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate until firm.

Whip the heavy whipping cream in mixer until soft peaks form. Add a 1/2 cup of powdered sugar at first, then stop there or add more to taste. Mix again. Cut into squares, add dollop of whipped cream on top, and serve.

6. Finally, how about Cheesy Pretzel Chicken Pops? This is a "to your taste" recipe. Using about 2 pounds of chicken tenders (about 14 strips), insert well-soaked skewer sticks (about 20 minutes in water to prevent them from burning in the oven) and roll tenders in a mixture of Greek yogurt and garlic powder to taste. Then roll the coated tenders in a mixture of crushed cheesy crackers and crushed pretzels. You'll want to dip each coated tender in melted butter; place prepared chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake on the bottom rack of oven at 450°F for about 15 minutes. Watch closely so they don't burn.