November 21, 2011 // By : amybites // Tags: , , , , , , ,

I actually made these a while ago to send to my sister, but for some reason, I didn’t post them. I have no idea why, because these might be some of the best cookies I’ve ever made. Or had. I love sweet and salty combos, and these cookies epitomize that in the best way.
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These amazing cookies are actually just my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe, plus crushed pretzels. The cookie base is just the perfect match for the pretzels—soft, chewy, rich and buttery, with just the right balance of sweet and salty. They were just screaming for pretzels to be added, so of course, I abided. And the result was glorious.

The ingredients are super simple. You probably already have all of them in your pantry, which may be a good or bad thing. Flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, semisweet chocolate chips, butter, and about 3 oz. of pretzels. Also, you’ll need one egg and one egg yolk (not shown).
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First, preheat your oven to 375º. In a medium bowl, whisk together your flour and baking soda until well-combined. Set aside.

Now, you need to brown 10 tablespoons of butter. Just heat the butter in a light-colored saucepan (this is important—you need to be able to see the color of the butter so it doesn’t burn) over medium-high heat until melted. Then, continue to cook, swirling constantly, until the butter has turned an amber color and is fragrant.

Remove from heat and add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and let it melt.

The base cookie recipe is from America’s Test Kitchen, and it’s the best chocolate chip cookie recipe I’ve ever tried by a landslide. Since I first made them two years ago, I’ve never looked back. The keys to its success are the brown butter and the whisk-and-wait method, which we’ll get to in a minute. The brown butter provides that rich, buttery, almost toffee-like taste. It’s just amazing. And not healthy in any way, let’s be real.

Now, transfer the butter into the bowl of your mixer. Add your sugar, salt, and vanilla. Using more brown sugar than white also contributes to that rich, butterscotchy deliciousness.

Using the whisk attachment, whisk until well-combined.

Now, the whisk-and-wait method. Add your egg and yolk, then whisk at a medium-high speed for about 30 seconds. The mixture should be a glossy, golden color, like so:

Now, we wait. Leave this mixture alone for 3 minutes.

Whisk again for 30 seconds. The mixture will become much thicker and lighter in color. Again, let it rest for 3 minutes.

Repeat the whisking. At this point, your mixture will be super thick and almost pearlescent. Let it rest for 3 minutes again, then whisk for 30 seconds again and rest for a final 3 minutes.

Now, switch to the paddle attachment and add in your flour mixture in two batches. Mix until just combined.

Roughly chop or crush your pretzels.

Fold in your chocolate chips and pretzel pieces with a spatula.

Scoop onto a prepared cookie sheet with a cookie scoop and bake for 10 to 14 minutes, flipping pan halfway through, until beginning to brown on the edges. Try not to bake two sheets at once to optimize even baking.

Cool or immediately stuff into your face. Whatever you prefer.

Best cookies ever? There’s very little doubt in my mind.

Crisp on the edges, soft and chewy in the center, buttery, rich, with the crunch and saltiness from the pretzels. Perfection.

Go make these right now, please. Share them with friends and family. Ultimate cookie-induced happiness.


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Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookies
Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen
Makes approximately 32 cookies
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  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (8 3/4 oz)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 14 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks)
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cups packed dark brown sugar (5 1/4 oz)
  • 1 teaspoon table salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 3 oz. pretzels, chopped
  • 1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

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1) Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
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2) Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.
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3) Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and pretzels, giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.
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4) Scoop dough onto cookie sheets using a cookie scoop.
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5) Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.