When your family is craving soft pretzels but you can’t bring yourself to bake a batch from scratch, don't hesitate to reach for the frozen variety. Store-bought frozen pretzels are precooked and ready to go, so cooking time is minimal in the conventional oven or microwave. All it takes is a little bit of thawing time and some patience. Before you know it, you will all be biting into a piece of doughy heaven.

Place the frozen pretzels on a baking sheet to thaw. Arrange the pretzels so that they lie flat on the baking sheet without touching. Thawing is complete when the pretzels are soft to the touch.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have an oven that tends to run hotter or cooler than average, turn the temperature up or down a few degrees.

Fill a cup with room temperature water. Dip your clean fingers in the water and sprinkle just enough water over the tops of the thawed pretzels to moisten.

Slide the tray into the oven and bake the pretzels until they are golden brown. Depending on the oven temperature, it may take anywhere from three to eight minutes before the pretzels bake to perfection.

Slip on a pair of oven mitts and remove the tray of pretzels after baking. Lay the tray on a heat-resistant surface and allow the pretzels to cool until they are just warm to the touch.

Place one pretzel on a microwave-safe plate. Thaw the frozen pretzel until it feels soft to the touch.

Fill a cup with room temperature water. Dip your clean fingers into the water and sprinkle just enough onto the pretzels to moisten.

Slide the plate into the microwave and set the temperature to high. If you find that the temperature of your microwave tends to run hotter than average, set the heat to medium.

Allow the pretzel to bake in the microwave for approximately 10 to 15 seconds. Check the pretzel after the 15 seconds. If it feels warm to the touch, baking is complete. If not, bake the pretzel for 10 more seconds. Continue checking every 10 seconds until the pretzel is to your liking.