Salted Caramel Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Salted Caramel Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies

These Salted Caramel Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies are the perfect balance of salty and sweet, with melty pools of caramel and chocolate and chopped pretzels in every bite.

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Chill Time30

Total Time55

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Brown Butter, Chocolate, Cookies, Salted Caramel

Servings: cookies

Calories: 170kcal

Author: Mike Johnson

Ingredients

113 g unsalted butter *see Notes*
110 g dark brown sugar
50 g granulated sugar
1 large egg (≈ 50g)
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
125 g all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
40 g crushed pretzels plus more for topping
100 g 70% cacao dark chocolate chopped & divided
63 g soft caramels (approx. 9 caramels cut in half)
flaky sea salt optional

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Cube the butter and place in a light-colored skillet. (Light colored helps you determine when the butter begins browning.) Melt the butter over medium heat, stirring constantly.
Once melted, the butter will begin to foam. Keep stirring. After 5-8 minutes, the butter will begin browning; you’ll notice lightly browned specks begin to form at the bottom of the pan and you'll begin to smell a nutty aroma. Once browned, immediately remove from heat, pour into a heat-proof bowl, and set aside for 10 minutes to cool slightly. You should have 7 tablespoons (98 grams) of brown butter.
To the brown butter (which should still be liquified), add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and whisk until combined. Add the egg and vanilla and whisk again until well combined.
Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined; be sure not to overmix! Fold in the pretzels and most of the chocolate chunks (reserve some for the next step) until incorporated.
Using a 1½-tablespoon spring-loaded scoop, scoop the dough into balls and place dough balls on a lined baking sheet. Top with caramel chunks and the remaining chocolate chunks then loosely cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator to chill for 30-60 minutes. (You'll use about 3-4 grams of caramel per cookie.)
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line another baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned on the sides; the centers will look very soft. Remove from the oven and press a whole pretzel into the melted caramel. Sprinkle the tops with flaky salt and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

The process of browning butter cooks off moisture from the butter, so it reduces in quantity. I have accounted for this in the recipe, so you will see ½ cup (113g) of butter called for to make the brown butter, but only 7 tablespoons (98g) of brown butter is used in the cookie dough. This is not an error - I just accounted for moisture loss when calculating the initial quantity!

Nutrition