I looked in my pantry trying to decide what kind of cookies to make for a family get together. I saw these chocolate covered pretzels and really wanted to use them up so I made these cookies. They are soft and extra chewy cookies loaded with crunchy chocolate covered pretzels and topped with sea salt. They are well worth the time and are fun to switch things up.
Ingredients:
- 2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
- 3/4 cup loosely packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 heaping cup chocolate covered pretzel pieces (homemade or store-bought)
- sea salt for sprinkling
Directions:
Whisk the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until no brown sugar lumps remain. Whisk in the egg, then the egg yolk. Finally, whisk in the vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together with a large spoon or rubber spatula. The dough will be very soft, yet thick. Fold in the chocolate covered pretzel pieces. They may not stick to the dough because of the melted butter, but do your best to combine them. Cover the dough and chill in the refrigerator for 3 hours or up to 3 days. Chilling is mandatory. I highly recommend chilling the cookie dough overnight for less spreading.
Take the dough out of the refrigerator and allow to slightly soften at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
Roll the dough into balls, about 3 Tablespoons of dough each. The dough will be crumbly, but the warmth of your hands will help the balls stay together. Roll the cookie dough balls to be taller rather than wide, to ensure the cookies will bake up to be thick. Place 8 balls of dough onto each cookie sheet, then sprinkle each with sea salt. Bake the cookies for 12-13 minutes. The cookies will look very soft and underbaked. They will continue to bake on the cookie sheet. As they cool, feel free to press a couple extra pieces of chocolate covered pretzels into the tops of each cookie. It’s best to do this when the cookies are still warm. This is only for looks! Not mandatory at all. You can also sprinkle a little more sea salt on top of each cookie at this time, if desired.
Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make ahead tip: Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week. You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Allow to come to room temperature then continue with step 5. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw.
