Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies

Several weeks ago, Cindy was sitting with me at the kitchen table while I organized my recipes for holiday cookies.  She refused to look through them because she didn't want to be disappointed if for some reason I ended up not baking a particular recipe.  But the next weekend, when again Cindy found herself sitting at my kitchen table while I pulled out the recipes to be baked, she just about lost her mind when she caught a glimpse of this recipe.  The chocolate and salty pretzel combination really got her going and she started thinking about ways to make them better before she even read the recipe!   I will give her credit though because she and I came up with a good idea.  A solid cookie in the chocolate chip family, the salty pretzels and bittersweet chocolate put a new twist on an old favorite.

Jen at Beantown Baker yet again led me to another wonderful cookie.  I love chocolate covered pretzels and these really incorporate those flavors in cookie form.  I wasn't able to find bittersweet chocolate chips, so I improvised using part bittersweet chocolate and part semi-sweet chocolate chips.  Cindy's first idea was to individual chocolate dip each of the pretzel sticks (holy tedious work, Batman) but then we thought that a chocolate pretzel bark would be the better way to go.  That's exactly what I did, although I think I would add more pretzels next time.  Since the pretzels were coated, the chocolate flavor was stronger than the pretzel flavor.  And I don't think more pretzels, maybe 1/2 to 3/4 cup, could hurt this recipe.



Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

2 1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
12 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups pretzel sticks
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Pour pretzels into a medium bowl and crush slightly.  I used my hands and just squeezed handfuls of pretzels until I got the consistency I wanted.

In a small microwave safe dish, melt 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate in the microwave on high in 30 second intervals until smooth.

Pour chocolate over pretzels and stir to coat.  Spread pretzel/chocolate nix onto a Silpat or parchment lined cookie sheet into a even layer.  Chill in refrigerator until set, about 30 minutes.

When set, remove from refrigerator and break bark into small chunks.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, using a beater attachment on a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat together butter and sugars until creamy.  Beat in eggs, on at a time, then mix in vanilla. 

Switch to a paddle attachment and gradually add flour mixture, mixing on a low setting, until incorporated.

Add pretzel bark and chocolate chips, mixing briefly to combine.

On a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet, drop by spoonfuls (I use a small cookie scoop) about 2 inches apart. Note: I see now that Jen mentions to flatten the balls slightly.  Oops.  While I like my little ball cookies, you might want to follow Jen's advice and flatten them a bit.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 9-13 minutes or until lightly golden on the edges.  Turn baking sheet 180 degrees halfway through. If using more than one sheet at a time, rotate positions in the oven for more even baking.

Remove from oven and let cool on pan for 2 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 7 dozen cookies.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess

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