Elite Eight Snacks for March Madness

If you’re into college basketball, you know that Selection Sunday is fast approaching (it’s on March 12). In honor of the tournament, we came up with eight different gourmet pretzel snacks to enjoy on Selection Sunday while you host friends to fill out your brackets. Or, save the ideas for watching your favorite team take the court. 

1. Smoky Eggplant Dip with OMG! Lemon Pepper Pretzels. This appetizer is perfect for a spring evening. It’s light, but flavorful and only needs a few ingredients. Using OMG! Lemon Pepper Pretzels as the dipper for this vegetarian appetizer gives the dip a boost of pepper and citrus that naturally complements the dish. You can make the dip ahead of time and refrigerate it until your guests arrive.
   
2. Mango Guacamole with OMG! Sweet Chili Pretzels. We are playing with sweet and spicy flavors with this delicious combination. Add diced mango to your guacamole for a hint of sweetness that is slightly tart. This addition pairs perfectly with the raw cane sugar and punch of spice the Sweet Chili pretzel nuggets lend to this super scrumptious snack. Looking for other guacamole ideas? Click here for other pretzel pairings and ways to jazz up store bought guac! 
3. OMG! Chesapeake Spice Pretzel-Crusted Shrimp. For something warm, this pretzel snack is a winner! To make them, dip peeled/deveined shrimp in egg wash and then into finely crushed OMG! Pretzels. (HINT: You can use any of our savory pretzels for this depending on what you prefer.) Then, bake them at 375 degrees on a parchment lined sheet for about 5 minutes, until the shrimp is cooked through. You can serve them with tartar or cocktail sauce for dipping.
4. Marshmallow Cream Cheese Dip and OMG! Sweet & Salty Pretzels. Make Selection Sunday sweet with this classic treat. For the sweet dip, simply combine 8 oz of room temperature cream cheese with 6 oz of marshmallow cream. If you want to make it fun, you can also add some food coloring to rep your favorite team. Once combined, serve it up with OMG! Sweet & Salty Pretzels for dipping. The hint of cinnamon from the pretzels helps balance this combination and keeps the sweetness factor on point.
5. Fancy Flavors Trail Mix. If you’re looking for a gourmet pretzel snack for Selection Sunday, try this trail mix. Dried Mission figs, OMG! Garlic Pretzels, rosemary-herbed Marcona almonds, and honey granola clusters combine for a sophisticated trail mix. PRO TIP – you can use these ingredients on a charcuterie board for your party; just add some prosciutto and chunks of parmesan cheese and you’re in business! Interested in other pretzel-tastic snack mixes to try? Click here for ideas. 
6. Chocolate-Dipped OMG! Sweet & Spicy Pretzels. Indulge your sweet tooth with this pretzel snack! We like dark chocolate most with this variety of our seasoned pretzel nuggets. Melt the chocolate in a microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between, until it’s smooth. Then, dip each OMG! Sweet & Spicy Pretzel about halfway in the chocolate and set it on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper to cool. Once the chocolate has hardened (about an hour), you are ready to serve these tasty, sweet treats. 
7. Green Goddess Dip with OMG! Pretzel Dippers. A Greek twist on this herbaceous and fresh dip makes a great Selection Sunday snack. Even if you’re a novice in the kitchen, you can whip up this elegant pretzel appetizer. You can serve it with crudites, pita triangles and a variety of our savory sourdough pretzel nuggets. 
8. No-Bake OMG! Salty Butterscotch Pretzel Clusters. These little dessert snacks are scrumptious and easy to make. Be sure to put some plastic bags out for guests to take a few home after they complete their brackets on Selection Sunday. All you need are a few ingredients and time for them to set before your guests arrive. Check out the full recipe here. 

No matter who you are rooting for during the NCAA’s March Madness Tournament, be sure your snack selections are on point. We hope these ideas help!