Teresa Cooks: Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am a big fan of salty/sweet desserts. While indulging my current obsession with reading other people’s blogs I saw this recipe on BeantownBaker.com I feel like I should know her, I mean BeantownBaker – I am a baker, I live in (near) Beantown. Maybe someday. She has some seriously delicious sounding recipes – I was impressed.

So I told my kids I was going to make these and they all cried

“No, that sounds disgusting, make regular chocolate chip cookies!”

“I’m going to make my own dessert!”

And other such empty threats. I didn’t listen, I didn’t care. I wanted to make these cookies. We stopped at the ridiculously overpriced convenience store near my house to get pretzels (and have a tantrum because I wouldn’t buy gum and ice cream too). When I got home I realized I had only bought the 99¢ bag of pretzels and it was only half as many as I needed. But I am cheap, and somewhat lazy and unwilling to drive the 2 minutes back to the shop. So I forged ahead with only half as many pretzels as I needed.

Oh my but these turned out well! Fat chunky delicious looking cookies with the salty twang of pretzels throughout. My kids are eating their words and begging for seconds. Proclaiming them their “favorite” cookies. See, I’m not as stupid as I look people, I can usually spot a good recipe.

Here is the recipe as found on BeantownBaker.com

lots of cookies cooling. . . check out the chunks of pretzel

peeking out.

photographic evidence of a kid eating her words (and my cookie) Hmm. . . maybe I do make big cookies, oh well, I like them that way.

Note that I only used 1 cup of pretzels and we LOVED the cookies that way. I’ll try it with the full amount at a later date and let you all know how we like them. .. if you try them first let me know. Also, these called for bittersweet chocolate chips, which sound delicious to me, but my kids flat out hate them, so I used semi-sweet.

Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies

from Culinary in the Country –via BeantownBaker.com

makes ~5 dozen cookies (there is no way this makes 5 dozen cookies*) Printable Recipe
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups coarsely crushed pretzel sticks
2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips – I used semi-sweet.

1/2 cup choppped pecans (optional, and not in the original recipe. . . but they were hanging around my counter)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugars until creamy.
Beat in eggs, one at a time, mixing until combined after each.
Mix in vanilla.
Gradually add dry ingredients into the butter mixture and beat just until incorporated.
Add crushed pretzels and mix briefly to combine. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts if you’re using them.
Drop dough using a tablespoon cookie scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets and flatten dough balls slightly.
Place into the oven and bake cookies until they are lightly golden around the edges, about 9 to 13 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cookies cool for a couple minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.