Those Mall Pretzels !

I guess most people know about those big, chewy, soft pretzels......with either a salty topping or a sweet finish like butter and cinnamon sugar. Well, I did know they exist, but never went to buy one just because. Until one day that is, when Jeff and I were at the mall and I found those pretzels at the food court. 3 bucks each if you can believe it ! Anyway, I had made pretzels numerous times, but never thought to make them as big or as soft, and after some "web pretzel investigating" I had come up with a couple recipes I would try. They turned out kinda too puffy for my taste or expectations, but they were good.
And one day I had the luck to find a Food Network Magazine with a copy cat recipe of those soft pretzels I had bought at the mall. And YES, they did turn out almost perfect.
The first picture will be of the first attempt and then the next will be of the better version.