Gingerbread Pretzels

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a large cookie sheet; set aside. In a bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves, and salt; set aside.

2. In another bowl, stir together egg yolks, sugar, sour cream, molasses, milk, and vegetable oil spread until combined. Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until combined. If necessary, knead together gently. Using your hands, shape dough into 1-1/4-inch balls.

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll each dough ball into a 10-inch long rope. Shape each rope into a pretzel by crossing the ends over each other, forming a circle with 2-inch tails. Twist once at the crossover point. Fold the tails over the circle. Press ends gently to seal. While working, keep dough and shaped cookies covered with a clean kitchen towel to prevent them from drying out. Place pretzels 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet. Lightly brush tops with water. Top each pretzel with some of the crystallized ginger or coarse sugar, gently pressing ginger or sugar into the dough.

4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until tops are set. Transfer pretzels to wire racks; cool completely.