Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookies
You know what they say: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Normally, I agree! I have my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe that tends to be my ride-or-die. And what is better than the brown sugar goodness of the batter with the rich bitterness of semisweet chocolate chips? But I am a rolling stone, and as such, routines and traditions tend to get a little…stale for me. Enter: salty pretzels for chocolate chip pretzel cookies.
Salt is a secret weapon in baking - it can take a pretty good dessert to AMAZING. Not only does salt serve an important chemical function, but it also adds a new dimension to sweet treats. We tend to think of salt as a savory-only creation, but if you avoid salt in baking, let these delicious cookies be your introduction.
Tips for Making Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookies
Over the years I have developed a certain rhythm for making cookies that I rarely see formally addressed in recipes, so let’s formally address them!
There are a few things I often do (unless explicitly instructed otherwise) to make my cookies turn out as well as they possible can.
An electric mixer (of any quality!) can make this recipe a lot easier, but it’s not necessary. If you need an arm workout, you can make cookies by hand.
Don’t put fresh cookies on a still-hot cookie sheet! That is a one-way ticket to cookies with burned bottoms and undercooked tops. Either wait for your sheet to cool to the touch (it only takes about 15 minutes) or rotate between multiple sheets.
For the most even mixture of your leavening agents, whisk together all of your dry ingredients in a separate bowl. This is also a great way to get some air into the batter.
Unlike other baked goods, you don’t need to butter/grease your pan. Classic cookies typically don’t stick to cookie sheets. I like to use parchment paper or silicone baking mats to help them bake more evenly (and also reduce cleanup time).
In addition, there are a few things for this particular recipe that will ensure you make the best possible chocolate chip pretzel cookies.
While it’s pretty unusual to use molasses in a non-spiced cookie, it lends these cookies a beautiful color! Plus, molasses has this wonderful rich flavor that adds a nice dimension to the cookies.
When crushing the pretzels, if you use a food processor, don’t just let it run! This will crush a higher portion of your pretzels into dust. We aren’t looking for pretzel dust, we are looking for nice pretzel chunks.
These cookies don’t spread out overly much in the oven, so if you want to press down on them a bit before they to into the oven, you’ll get a bigger cookie by area.
You can use classic semisweet chips if that’s what you have lying around the house, but personally, I love the way sweet milk chocolate chips balanced the extra saltiness of the pretzels. You could also use butterscotch or caramel chips if you’re feeling a little ~ silly ~.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookies
Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookies Ingredients
Yield: 5 dozen cookies
1 c softened butter
2 c granulated (white) sugar
3 Tbs molasses
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
3 ½-4 c small salted pretzel rods (should produce about 2 c crushed pretzels)
2 ½ c all-purpose flour (lightly packed)
1 ½ c milk chocolate chips
Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookies Tools
2 mixing bowls (both of medium to large size)
Electric mixer with standard beaters or paddle attachment (optional)
Food processor (optional) or a gallon Ziploc bag and rolling pin
Whisk
Rubber spatula
Measuring cups & spoons
Cookie sheets (1 will do but 2 will make your life easier)
Silicone baking mats or parchment paper
Wire cooling racks (or, if you’re my mom, paper grocery bags)
Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookies Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Crush your pretzels!
If using a food processor: add 3 ½-4 c of pretzels to the bowl of your food processor, and make sure the lid is on tight. DO NOT let processor run; instead press the single-process button (on mine it says “pulse”). Press the single-process button multiple times until the rods are about 1/4 of an inch long.
If crushing by hand: put roughly 3 ½-4 c of pretzels in a gallon-size Ziploc bag. Close the bag and beat with a rolling pin or other heavy implement until the rods are roughly 1/4 of an inch long.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or a medium bowl, beat together sugar, butter, and molasses until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure it’s evenly mixed.
Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add in the vanilla.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda.
Add the flour mixture one cup at a time until fully combined. If using a mixer, keep your mixer on low so flour doesn’t spray all over your kitchen.
Stir in chocolate chips, and then the crushed pretzels.
Use a spoon, cookie scoop, or clean hands, roll cookies into 1½ inch balls. Place 12 roughly even cookies on a sheet. (If you want your cookies to be super duper even, use a kitchen scale to weigh each dough ball before shaping it).
Bake cookies at 350F for 11-13 minutes (larger cookies will need more time).
Pull them out of the oven, then let cool for 2 minutes on the sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely (this helps the cookies firm up and and keep their shape as they cool).
Alternate cookie sheets when baking to ensure the pan cools between each stint in the oven, or let the cookie sheet completely cool.
Share with friends, or hoard like a cookie dragon, it’s up to you!
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