MAKE THE DOUGH: Be sure to drain the jalapeno peppers and dry them on a paper towel. Then just chop them up and set them aside for now. In a large mixing bowl, combine the milk, yeast, sugar and 2 tablespoons of butter and let sit for 10 minutes until the yeast activates. Stir in the salt then the flour and jalapeño and allow a dough to form, mixing for just 1-3 minutes until the dough comes together. 

MAKE THE PRETZEL: Dumb the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead. If the dough is too sticky add a tablespoon of flour at a time until the dough can easily be kneaded but is still slightly tacky. Knead a total of 5-10 times. Add to an oiled bowl, cover and let the dough rise for an hour.

PRETZEL BATH: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 450ºF. After the dough rises, punch down the dough and divide the dough out into 6-8 equal pieces (depending on preferred size) Roll out into a long, skinny rope, like close to 24 inches. Fold the ends into to make a pretzel shape. You can twist the center if you’d like, I was too lazy to deal.

BAKE: Heat a medium pot with water when it's hot, add the baking soda and stir. Gently dip each pretzel into the baking soda mixture using a slotted spoon for 10 seconds. Remove and arrange pretzel on a baking sheet. Brush with the beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with coarse salt if desired and top with additional jalapenos and shredded cheese. You can use cheese on 1/2 of them like I did, or all of them; your call! Bake until golden, 10-12 minutes (closer to 10 mins if you’ve made 8 pretzels.) Brush the pretzels with the remaining melted butter and serve warm with salsa con queso!