Add the warm water, yeast, and brown sugar to a bowl and mix gently. Set aside for 5 minutes to allow the yeast to feed. You will notice the yeast begin to foam at the top of the bowl after a few minutes.

In a separate large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook or paddle attachment, mix the pumpkin puree, melted butter, and yeast mixture until well combined.

Add 2 cups of the flour along with the pumpkin pie spice and sea salt to the bowl and continue to mix on low speed. Add the remaining flour in ½ cup increments until a large ball of dough forms. Fold in the mini chocolate chips until well disbursed. The dough will be slightly sticky but you should be able to handle it with your fingers without it sticking.

Transfer the dough to a clean lightly floured surface and begin to knead it to gather the flour underneath, adding more as necessary, until the dough is smooth and soft. This should take 3 - 5 minutes.

Place the ball of dough in a large bowl greased with a little oil. Lay a towel over the top and let the dough rise in a warm space for 30 minutes until it has doubled in size.

Once the dough has doubled, transfer it back to a working surface and knead a few times. Then use a sharp knife to cut the dough in half. Then slice each half in half again so you’re left with 4 large pieces of dough. Slice each of those pieces into thirds to make 12 total pieces.

Take one of those pieces and roll it in between the palms of your hands and a flat surface until it’s about 2 feet in length. Make a ‘U’ shape with the strand of dough and then cross the right side over the left. Take the side on the (now) right and cross it over the side on the (now) left again to make a twist. Then fold the twist into the middle of the circle you created beneath it to form a pretzel shape (see above pictures for a step by step of this process). Repeat this process with the remaining pieces of dough to make 12 total soft pretzels.

Preheat oven to 425 F. Fill up a pot with 6 cups of water and the baking soda and heat over high heat on the stove to bring to a boil. This is the “baking soda bath”. Gently drop the pretzels, no more than 2 at a time, into the boiling water with a slotted spoon and allow them to boil for 30 seconds.

Transfer each boiled pretzel to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Leave about 2 inches in between each pretzel. Brush each pretzel with an egg wash and a generous sprinkle of coarse cane sugar. Bake the pan in the oven for 10 - 12 minutes until the pretzels have puffed up and are golden brown.

Let the pretzels cool down slightly before enjoying!