Chocolate Pretzel Cookies

I'm a massive fan of salty sweet! These are the BEST chocolate pretzel cookies - the ultimate combination of a crunchy salty pretzel with semi-sweet chocolate morsels. The perfect cookie recipe for the chocolate pretzel lovers out there.

Jump to:

• Equipment
• Ingredients
• Choosing Pretzels for these Cookies
• How to Make Salted Pretzel Chocolate Cookies
• Expert Tips
• Storage Advice
• FAQs
• More Chocolate Chip Cookie Options
• Chocolate Pretzel Cookies

Equipment

To make these cookies, you'll want the following items at hand to make the process quick and easy:

• Large mixing bowl - you can also use the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
• Hand held electric beaters - if you're using a stand mixer, this won't be necessary, but if using a standard mixing bowl, electric beaters make creaming so much simpler!
• Sieve - for sifting your flour. I won't lie - I have absolutely made these cookies without sifting, but it really does help with final texture and with ensuring a good even mixing of the leavening agent. If you don't have a sieve it's not the end of the world and you'll still have tasty cookies at the end!
• Spatula - a good spatula is essential for mixing the final dough together.
• Ziploc bag - the easiest way to smash up your pretzels for this recipe will be in a ziploc bag. You can use other bags, but ideally use something that seals or you'll have pretzel pieces everywhere!
• Rolling pin - or other heavy item to help smash the pretzels into bits. Technically you could use a food processor, rather than the bag and pin, but I find it more of a hassle than its worth and the pieces end up too finely ground.
• Cookie scoop - I use a 1.5 tablespoon scoop for my cookies, but you can use larger or smaller scoops. Size of the cookies will impact baking speeds.
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper - you could also use silicone baking mats or a non-stick spray. The key is to avoid the baking cookies sticking to the pan!
• Wire cooling rack

Ingredients

These are essentially a twist on my classic chocolate chip cookies. You'll need:

• Butter - unsalted butter, softened at room temperature. You might think these are the perfect opportunity to use some salted butter to get that extra salty kick, but you don't want to overpower it! Using unsalted butter allows you more control and helps avoid these cookies leaving your mouth dry from too much salt.
• Light brown sugar - firmly packed measurements. I like to use muscovado, but any soft light brown sugar will work here. You can also substitute with dark brown sugar for added molasses-y flavors.
• Egg - a large egg, ideally at room temperature.
• Vanilla extract
• Flour - all purpose or plain flour will work in this recipe.
• Baking soda
• Flaked sea salt
• Salted pretzels - I like to use little salted pretzels here since you can then add some to the top to decorate the cookies.
• Chocolate chips - this is where you have some flexibility. Personally I love a semi-sweet chocolate chip or a dark chocolate chip here. You could opt for milk chocolate or even white chocolate though - let you personal preferences be your guide.

Choosing Pretzels for these Cookies

In theory you could use any hard pretzels in these cookies - large ones, pretzel sticks, sourdough pretzels, etc. As long as they can be crushed to small-ish bits to mix into the batter, they're able to be incorporated.

In practice, it is best to use mini hard pretzels with salt. This is because they are small enough to make for easy crushing without pulverizing. Lightly smashing these with a rolling pin or other heavy kitchen utensil will give you small bits, that are still large enough to add a crunch to the cookie.

Mini pretzels in cookies also offer an easier opportunity for adding a decorative touch to the top when ready to bake. Simply press an extra uncrushed mini pretzel straight on top of the dough ball before baking.

How to Make Salted Pretzel Chocolate Cookies

These are such a simple recipe to whip up! Follow these steps for your salty sweet treat:

Step 1: Begin by creaming the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl. I do this using a handheld electric beater, but you could use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.

Step 2: Add the egg and vanilla, beating to combine.

Step 3: Sift the flour and baking soda into the sugar mixture and add the flaked sea salt. Stir this with a spatula to combine into a dough. If using a stand mixer, you may be able to continue beating with the paddle attachment, but beat until just combined.

Step 4: Place 1.5oz of pretzels into a ziploc bag and seal. Smash the pretzels with a rolling pin or other heavy utensil until they are well crushed into small bits. You don't need to powder them, you want them to distribute in the batter.

Step 5: Add the pretzel pieces and chocolate chips to the cookie dough and stir to combine.

Step 6: Using a cookie scoop, dollop out balls of cookie dough onto a plate or parchment. Place these in the refrigerator to chill thoroughly. I'd recommend at least 1 hour, but ideally 2-3.

Step 7: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175C/155C Fan) and line a baking sheet with parchment.

Step 8: Place the chilled dough balls well spaced (about 2" apart) on the cookie sheet. For decoration, gently flatten the tops of the balls with your hand and place an extra uncrushed mini pretzel.

Step 9: Bake these in the center of the preheated oven for about 12-15 minutes until the edges are starting to go darker/more golden.

Step 10: Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

Expert Tips

This is a fairly standard cookie dough for the most part. My top tips here are as follows:

• For best results with this recipe, chill balls of cookie dough for at least an hour prior to baking. This isn't strictly necessary and you can definitely bake straight away if you're in a rush! But, the chilling will make them softer and chewier because it will help prevent too much spreading.
• When ready to bake, press a pretzel in the top for decoration and place in the center of the preheated oven.
• Since these cookies are made with brown sugar, they will bake darker than conventional chocolate chip cookies, so don't worry if they seem to be darker than normal from the start. This does mean that you'll need to pay attention to avoid leaving them in too long - you're looking for a deepening golden, not too for them to go too brown!

Storage Advice

These cookies are best kept at room temperature once baked. They'll last in an airtight container for several days, though they do start to lose freshness after a day or two.

If you're wanting to get a head start or have on demand pretzel cookies - make a batch and freeze the dough! Essentially follow the recipe as written all the way up to scooping dough balls for chilling. All the dough balls to chill in the fridge for an hour or so, to firm up and then transfer to a freezer bag for easy storage. They dough balls will keep in the freezer for a few months and can be baked straight from frozen - just keep an eye as they may need a little longer in the oven.

FAQs

More Chocolate Chip Cookie Options

• Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies
• Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies without Brown Sugar
• Cookie Bottomed Brownies
• Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Pistachio Cookies