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Looking for a little salty crunch to compliment your love of chocolate? You will want to make these chocolate chunk pretzel cookies to satisfy your cravings. These cookies are popular during the holidays but can be enjoyed all year-round. Their soft and chewy texture is unlike regular chocolate chip cookies because of their salty crunchy pretzels.

softened unsalted butter
sugar
brown sugar
eggs
vanilla extract
flour
baking soda
baking powder
salt
chocolate chips (semi sweet or milk chocolate chips)
crushed pretzels

brown sugar, sugar, room temperature butter

Chocolate Chips or Chocolate Chunks?

It is a personal preference on what kind of chocolate chunks you put in the cookies. Using chocolate chips instead of chunks is ok, either works in the cookie dough.

Can I Use Milk Chocolate Chips or Semi Sweet Chocolate?

It is preference, but semi sweet would give a good contrast to the salty pretzels. The milk chocolat would give a smoother taste. You could also mix half semi and half milk chocolate chip. You oculd add chopped chocolate in as well for small and big pieces of chocolate.

Tips for Achieving the Perfect Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies

After mixing the dough together, chill the cookie dough in the fridge for at least 2 hours (overnight is best to allow the butter to set and firm up again). It also gives the cookie a soft middle.
Use an Tablespoon sized spoon to scoop the dough to round and give the cookies a rippled, wrinkly texture on top.
Do not flatten the cookie balls, as this can make the middle bake faster and make a thinner, crisper cookie.
Chopped the pretzels into pea or peanut size pieces for even distribution in your cookie dough balls
Allow the baked cookies to rest on the baking sheet a few minutes before removing. This allows the cookies to set up. Transfer to parchment paper (or transfer the parchment paper onto the counter and place a new piece on the baking sheet to bake more cookies.

adding crushed crunchy pretzels into dough

Storage and Freezing Chocolate Pretzel Cookies

Baked cookies and cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container. Baked cookies can be stored er at room temperature for up to 5 days.

When freezing cookie dough, scoop and form the dough into cookies and place on a baking sheet to flash freeze. The dough balls can be next to each other to fit as many as possible on the tray. Once the dough is frozen and firm, you can place into a freezer bag or container. Be sure to mark what type of cookies and the date.

What Type of Pretzels to Use in the Cookies?

We use a bag of normal twisted pretzels to make our cookies. You could also take pretzel rods and crush them to smaller pieces. It seemed simplier to get consistent size of crunch with the pretzel twists versus dust. Add in some chopped nuts(walnuts or pecans), for added texture and flavor.

To keep the dough from spreading, we recommend chilling the cookie dough in the freezer. If you cannot do that and want to use sooner, you can place the dough in the fridge for at least an hour to stiffen the dough. Bake the cookie dough until the cookies are slightly golden brown.

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Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookies

Enjoy chocolate chunk pretzel cookies with gooey chocolate chunks and crunchy, salty pretzel bits. Perfect sweet & salty combo.

Course: Baking, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Author: Regina Sober

Equipment

Ingredients

1 ½ cups softened butter
1 ½ cups brown sugar
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ Tablespoons vanilla extract
4 ¼ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup crushed pretzels size of peanuts
2 cups milk chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375℉
In a large bowl cream together butter and both sugars until smooth and creamy. Scrape down edge of the bowl with a spatula.
With the mixer on, add the eggs and vanilla.
Add the baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Add the flour 1/2 cup at a time, scraping down the bowl to ensure everything is mixed.
Add the pretzels and chocolate chips and mix until the dough has them incorporated.
Place a 2 Tablespoon-ish sized scoop of cookie dough onto the baking sheet for each cookie, leaving 2-3 inches apart (they will spread a bit.
Bake the cookies for 10-13 minutes or until slightly golden brown for a softer cookie. Bake longer for a dunking dryer cookie.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before placing on parchment paper.
Repeat process until all cookies are baked.