Welcome back! It's the second day of the first annual Ka Pai Cooking Cookie Week! Yesterday we made a healthier version of the classic snickerdoodle cookie and it was the perfect way to kick off the week.
Today's recipe might not be a traditional Christmas cookie, but it certainly is a drool-worthy, I-need-to-make-this-now kind of cookie recipe: Salted Caramel Pretzel Chocolate Chunk Cookies!
I came up with the idea for these chocolate chunk cookies right after I had my son in early September. My mom was in town helping and I was dying to get back in the kitchen. So what did I do? I made cookies!
After a few tests, I discovered a few things: stuffing the caramel inside only worked about 25% of the time and the pretzels dried out the dough a lot more than I was expecting. I was worried my cookies weren't going to work, but don't worry - this final recipe is AMAZING.
These cookies are just chewy enough with crispy edges, a salty crunch from the pretzels, a gooey puddle of caramel in the middle, and melted dark chocolate scattered throughout. It's a wonderful mix of flavors and textures and you just won't be able to get enough!
Like I mentioned, these salted caramel pretzel chocolate chunk cookies are basically a chocolate chip cookie with delicious mix-ins like:
Just like every other cookie dough recipe, start by creaming the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla, then the dry ingredients. Pretty simple, right?
If you've been using a stand mixer, I recommend ditching the flat beater and folding in the chopped pretzels and chocolate by hand. I've tested it both ways and the pretzels and chocolate get broken up too much if you use an electric mixer, so be sure to fold in by hand!
Now for shaping the cookies. Using a medium cookie scoop (equivalent to 2 tablespoons), portion out one ball of cookie dough and roll into a smooth ball (see picture 1 below). Press into a thick disk and reshape the edges.
Unwrap the soft caramels and roll them into a ball. Press into the middle of the disks of cookie dough and reshape the dough again (see picture 2 below). Place no more than five cookies on a pan at a time.
Bake for 10 minutes, sprinkle with sea salt, then let cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
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I hope you love these cookies as much as I do! They literally satisfy every craving you could have and that puddle of caramel in the middle? TO DIE FOR.
Be sure to leave a star rating and review below if you make these salted caramel pretzel cookies so other readers know how you liked them! It makes me smile to see my recipes in your home.
Sweet, salty, and chewy, these Salted Caramel Pretzel Chocolate Chunk Cookies are everything you love about a cookie all in one. Each cookie has bits of crushed pretzels, chunks of dark chocolate, and a giant puddle of caramel in the middle.
*If you can't find this specific flavor, just use Lily's original Dark Chocolate bar.
**See original blog post for step by step photo instructions and extra tips.
***Remember the caramel is HOT out of the oven, so don't eat these cookies right away or you'll burn your mouth!
Nutrition facts are a calculated estimate of one cookie.
Serving: 1 cookie / Calories: 257 / Fat: 10.3g / Saturated Fat: 3.5g / Carbohydrates: 39.1g / Sugar: 16.3g / Protein: 3g
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