These Salty Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies start with a browned butter base and are completely loaded with flavor and texture! Who doesn’t appreciate a good chocolate chip cookie recipe? You’re gonna love these!
Looking for more ideas? These Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies are compulsively eatable!
Who doesn’t love a good chocolate chip cookie recipe? Salty Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies are exactly as mouth-watering as they sound! Whenever I make these, I struggle to not eat them all in one sitting. The base for these cookies is a flippin’ amazing browned butter cookie dough, perfectly soft and chewy.
The dough is then mixed up with salty pretzel bits and melty, sweet chocolate chips, for the most sensational combination of flavors and textures. It’s cookie recipes like these that make me feel like the Michaelangelo of baking: just out here creating dessert masterpieces, one batch of homemade cookies at a time.
The best part is, these don’t require a master’s skill to make! It doesn’t get better than these easy, sweet-and-salty, chewy-crunchy homemade chocolate chip cookies.
What You’ll Need
- Butter: Melting and browning the butter gives the cookie dough all kinds of epic, deep, buttery flavor. If you’ve never experienced brown butter in baking before, this recipe is sure to make you a convert!
- Light Brown Sugar: I use light brown sugar as I find it’s as consistent as white sugar, with a richer, caramelized flavor that suits chocolate chip cookies so well!
- Eggs: You’ll need two whole eggs, plus a single yolk for this recipe.
- Vanilla: When given the choice, always opt for pure vanilla extract vs. imitation. It really does have the best natural flavor!
- Baking Soda: For oomph.
- Salt
- Flour: Regular white, all-purpose flour.
- Pretzels: I use crushed up mini pretzel twists, but any size, brand, and type of salted pretzel will do just fine.
- Chocolate Chips: It wouldn’t be chocolate chip cookies without them! Aim for semi-sweet chocolate chips for the best melty texture. I’ve also included other add-in options further down in this post!
These are the EASIEST fancied-up cookies ever. There’s only 3 steps involved, and no need for chilling the dough!
Brown the Butter: First, you’ll brown your butter in a saucepan until it’s deep golden in color. Then let it cool slightly before you get started.
Make the Dough: Cream together your warm browned butter with some light brown sugar (I use my favorite KitchenAid® mixer, can’t get enough!). Mix in the rest of the wet ingredients. Next, slowly add in the flour and dry ingredients, then the pretzels, and finally the chocolate chips.
Scoop and Bake: Once your pretzel-chocolate-chip cookie dough is ready to go, use a large cookie scoop to portion it out onto a lined baking sheet. Then bake! Whatever you do, do not overbake these chocolate chip cookies – if anything, take them out of the oven when you think they aren’t quite done. Trust me on this one.
Let the cookies rest on the cookie sheet, and transfer them to a wire rack. They’ll continue to set up as they cool. (Zero judgment, though, if you grab one while they’re still warm!).
Tips for the Best Results
- Don’t Overmix: When mixing your cookie batter, be mindful to only mix in the dry ingredients until they’re just combined. Overmixed dough will lead to flatter, crunchier cookies. This means leaving enough leeway for stirring in the chocolate chips and pretzels, too!
- Don’t Overbake: In the same vein, but worth repeating. These cookies will appear underdone when they come out of the oven. This is exactly where we want them – leaving the cookies in longer will result in a dry, crumbly texture.
Add-In Ideas
These salty pretzel chocolate chip cookies are a work of art in their own right, but you can most definitely make them your own! You can customize your cookies with all your favorite add-ins. Here are some ideas:
- White chocolate chips, peanut butter chips or butterscotch chips
- Caramel pieces or chopped caramels
- M&Ms, Reese’s Pieces, or chopped candy bars
- Craisins or freeze-dried raspberries
- Hazelnuts, almonds, peanuts, or pecans
How to Store Extras
Store your baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. Before baking, you can keep the cookie dough wrapped or stored airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.
You can also freeze both the dough and baked cookies for longer-term storage, see the next section!
Do These Freeze Well?
You can freeze both the cookie dough as well as the baked pretzel chocolate chip cookies in this recipe.
To Freeze the Dough: Freeze the cookie dough in a freezer-safe bag or wrapped tightly in cling wrap for up to 4 months. Thaw in the fridge before baking (note that you may need to add a minute or two to the baking time, but keep a close eye and adjust accordingly).
To Freeze Baked Cookies: Place the cooled cookies in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container, using parchment paper to separate the layers. They can keep frozen for up to 6 months! Thaw the cookies at room temperature, outside of the container.
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Prep Time: 10 mins -
Cook Time: 8 mins
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Total Time: 22 mins
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Yield: 24 cookies 1x
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Category: Dessert
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Method: Oven
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Cuisine: American
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Method:
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Print Recipe
PinDescription:
These Salty Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies start with a browned butter base and are completely loaded with flavor and texture! Who doesn’t appreciate a good chocolate chip cookie recipe? You’re gonna love these!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup butter, melted and browned
- 1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2 eggs + 1 yolk
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups plus 2 Tbsp flour
- 1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels
- 2 cups chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
- In a medium saucepan melt 1 cup butter over medium-low heat. When butter is melted continue to cook, swirling butter constantly until it becomes a golden brown color. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- In bowl of stand mixer mix butter and sugar together until combined. Add in eggs, extra yolk and vanilla. Mix until smooth.
- Add in baking soda, salt and flour. Mix on low until incorporated, then mix in crushed pretzels.
- Finally stir in chocolate chips.
- Using a large cookie scoop, drop dough on baking sheet about 2 inches apart, baking until just golden at the edges, about 8-10 minutes. Centers might not seem done yet, but remove the cookies and allow them to cool for 3-4 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes:
Store airtight for up to 3 days.
Nutrition Information:
Keywords: homemade cookies, soft chocolate chip cookie recipe, easy cookies recipe
Hi! I’m Shelly and I’m an addict. Of the buttercream sort. I started this site a few years ago as a way to justify my sugary, buttery obsession with desserts. It has worked out well for me so far, because as it turns out you guys all love sugary, buttery desserts too! It feels good to know you're not alone, doesn’t it?
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Browned butter + pretzels = magic. I’ve made them twice and they get better every time!
★★★★★
So glad you like them!!
How would you go about adding peanut butter to this recipe?
I made this recipe a few days ago on my blog and they turned out wonderfully! I substituted out 1/4 cup brown sugar for granulated sugar and they were still to die for! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Just finished a batch, they are to die for!! Thanks!!
Hey there!
After many tries with different kinds of cookies’ recipes i have just decided to try to get better and better at particular recipes! So my question is (and i believe is applied at the majority of cookies’ recipes). The butter should be melted firstly?????
Thanks a lot!
The cookies sound utterly delish!
would love to win the over to give to our daughter..they have worked so hard…and they need a stover very badly…thank you!
How have I missed this all this time?? What a blessing this range would be in my home. Thanks for the chance to win this beauty!! I feel all giddy just thinking about it. Those cookies look INVITING….I will be making them soon! Merry Christmas to y’all!!! 🙂
Sweet and salty combo rocks! Especially in a cookie form!
chocolate chip cookies
I need to use margarine instead of butter. Does one brown it the same way? Will it have the same effect?
I don’t believe that margarine will brown up like the butter. It’s the dairy fats that give it that great brown color and flavor!
I cannot wait to make these. All of my husband’s favorites rolled into one cookie 🙂
I made these tonight and they’re SO good. Thanks for the recipe!
Do you use salted or unsalted butter? I’ve just tried it with salted and it wouldn’t brown. Of course, I am cooking on a hot plate so that might have something to do with it!
My favorite holiday cookie are gingersnaps.