Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies

Looking for the best peanut butter pretzel cookie recipe? This is it!! These soft and chewy cookies are loaded with crunchy peanut butter, puddles of melted dark chocolate, and bits of crispy, salted pretzels. A totally irresistible salty meets sweet dessert that everyone will love!

If you’ve been following along here for any amount of time, you know I take my cookies very seriously. And let me tell you…these peanut butter pretzel chocolate chip cookies do not let me down. Chock full of crunchy peanut butter, salty pretzel bits, and pools of melted chocolate, these golden brown beauties are everything I dream of in a perfect cookie and then some.

If salty meets sweet is your thing, this recipe is for you!

These peanut butter pretzel chocolate chip cookies might be just a wee bit over the top, but rest assured, they are super easy to make and really hard to mess up. They are delightfully crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside with that perfect pretzel crunch to seal the deal. The salty flavors from the peanut butter and pretzels are perfectly balanced by the sweetness of the sugar and chocolate making each and every mouthwatering bite nothing short of Ah-MAZING!

These cookies are a real crowd pleaser if I ever saw one and I’m pretty certain I’ll cinch the mom of the year award when I serve these beauties up after school with a tall glass of cold milk. These cookies are my new go-to and I can’t wait to tell you how to make them.

What makes these cookies so good?

These peanut butter pretzel chocolate chip cookies might be easy to make but they are anything but basic. This is a hefty cookie loaded with everything good in the world like crunchy peanut butter to puddles of melted dark chocolate chunks and bits of crispy, salted pretzels. These cookies are sweet and chewy, salty and gooey and I simply cannot get enough of them. Not only are they easy to whip up in a pinch but they stay soft for days so you can have something sweet and simple when the cookie craving strikes.

Each cookie is hand stuffed with mini pretzel twists and topped with an extra sprinkle of flakey sea salt for good measure. The extra salt isn’t mandatory, but it sure is good!

Ingredients you need

These peanut butter pretzel chocolate chippers come together quickly with just the basics. Nothing fancy needed here. Just the usuals like flour, butter, sugar, eggs, chocolate, and pretzels and peanut butter of course.

• Flour – Regular all-purpose flour works perfectly to give these cookies plenty of structure and a chewy texture. Too much flour will make the cookies puffy and cake-like so measure correctly using a digital kitchen scale. 
• Sugar – Both brown sugar and granulated give the cookies the perfect amount of moisture and sweetness. 
• Butter – Use butter that is softened to room temperature for best results. 
• Eggs – If you forgot to set your eggs out in advance, place them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes. 
• Peanut butter – Smooth or crunchy, the choice is yours! Be sure to use room temperature peanut butter.
• Chocolate chunks or chips – Use chunks or chips or a combination of both to get those delicious puddles of melted chocolate in every bite. For the best tasting cookies, use good quality chocolate like Ghirardelli or Guittard. I also like the Trader Joes Pound Plus 72% Cacao Chocolate Bar. 
• Mini pretzel twists – Crush the pretzels up into bits and pieces using your hands and add them to the dough for added crunch and flavor in every bite. Don’t forget to top each cookie with a larger pretzel piece before baking. 

How to make 

These cookies come together quickly with a handful of ingredients and a stand mixer. I make this recipe in a stand mixer but a handheld mixer works great too. 

1. Cream together the butter and sugar. Mix the butter and sugars together on medium high speed until light and airy. This takes about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
2. Add the egg and vanilla. Beat on medium-low speed until the egg is fully incorporated. For best results, make sure your egg is at room temperature. 
3. Mix in the peanut butter. Add the peanut butter and mix for one minute until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl once more. 
4. Add the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter and egg mixture. Mix on low speed until just a few streaks of flour remain. Do not over mix. 
5. Stir in the chocolate chunks and pretzels. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and use a large spatula to stir in the chocolate chunks (chips) and pretzel pieces. Now is your chance to mix in extra goodies for extra flavor and texture. See below for variations. 

6. Scoop the cookie dough and chill. Use a large 2 ounce cookie scoop to scoop the cookie dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Add extra pretzel bits and chocolate chips or chunks to the top of the cookie dough balls. Chill the dough for 2 hours or overnight. 

7. Bake. Once the dough is chilled, preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Transfer the chilled cookie dough to the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between each cookie. Bake on the center rack of the oven for 11 to 12 minutes. Halfway through baking, pull the cookie sheet from the oven and bang it firmly on the countertop once or twice to help flatten the cookies and create puddles of chocolate. Rotate the pan and place in the oven to continue baking.

Remove the cookies from the oven and bang the pan on the counter once more. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before carefully transferring the cookies to a cooling rack. Serve warm dusted with flakey sea salt for delicious sweet and salty treat.

Tips for perfectly baked cookies

Before you break out your cookie sheet, read through this list of helpful tips and tricks for perfectly baked cookies every time.

1. Do not over mix. If the texture of your cookies seems off, you likely over mixed the dough. When combining the wet and dry ingredients, stir until just barely combined and then fold in the chocolate chunks and pretzels in just a few, gentle strokes. Over mixing the dough can cause the cookies to be flat and overly crispy once baked. Use a large cookie scoop and scale to portion out the cookies before chilling.
2. It’s all about the pretzels.  These cookies taste best with a bit of pretzel crunch in every bite so for best results top each cookie dough ball with a large piece of pretzel and simultaneously stuff a few broken pieces into the sides of the cookies. Mini pretzel twists make the prettiest cookies but mini pretzel sticks will work too. If you want to make these gluten free, give these gluten free pretzel twists a try.
3. Use crunchy peanut butter. I tested this recipe with both crunchy and smooth peanut butter and I guarantee you that crunchy peanut butter is where it’s at. I’m not usually a fan of actual peanuts in my peanut butter cookies but the tiny bits of peanut crunch in every bite make this cookie positively irresistible! Just trust me, k?
4. Bang the pan. These cookies are meant to be on the thick side which means more cookie to sink your teeth into. It’s worth noting that these cookies can bake up tall and puffy if left as they are once scooped. To help the cookies spread a bit in the oven, when the cookies are half way through the baking time, remove the pan from the oven and bang it firmly on the countertop to help flatten the cookie and create those heavenly puddles of melted chocolate and wrinkled edges we all know and love. Rotate the pan and continue baking. If the cookies are still puffed up and tall once fully baked, tap the cookie sheet on the counter twice more to deflate the center of the cookies. 
5. More chocolate is better. The recipe calls for one and a half heaping cups of chocolate chunks but more is better I always say. Feel free to add a few extra chips to the tops of each cookie before baking for that extra ooey gooey factor that everyone will love. I like to use bittersweet chocolate chips to keep the cookies from being overly sweet, but semisweet or even milk chocolate chips would be equally delicious.

Can these cookies be made gluten free?

Yes! I am happy to report that these peanut butter pretzel cookies are just as delicious when made sans gluten. Simply swap an equal amount of your favorite gluten free flour blend for the all purpose and pick up a bag of gluten free pretzel twists. They are easy to find in most grocery stores right next to regular pretzels.

Gluten free cookies never tasted so good! Store the cookies tightly covered for maximum freshness or do as I do and store the dough in the fridge, baking them off one or two (or five!) at at time whenever you’re in the mood for a good cookie fresh from the oven.

How to store pretzel cookies

On the off chance you have a few of these crazy delicious cookies left over, you can store them tightly covered at room temperature. Thanks to the peanut butter and a fair amount of brown sugar, the cookies will stay soft and flavorful for days. For extra freshness, try storing them with a slice of soft sandwich bread. If you prefer to bake off your cookies in smaller batches, keep the dough in the refrigerator tightly wrapped. These cookies are super freezer friendly but I did notice that the pretzels loose a bit of crunch once defrosted.

Didn’t bother me one bit-they are still one of the best cookies I’ve ever created. 

Let’s talk swaps

These loaded cookies are fun to stuff with different mix-ins. The flavor combinations are endless so let your sweet tooth do the talking.

• Salted caramel. For an ooey gooey chewy texture and extra caramel flavor, chop up bits of of salted caramels like Werthers Original and add them to the dough. 
• Butterscotch. Sweet butterscotch and salty pretzels are a match made in cookie heaven. Try swapping out 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips or chunks for an equal amount of butterscotch chips. SO GOOD!
• Toffee. For added crunch and incredible flavor, add 1/2 cup of toffee bits to the dough when you add the chocolate chunks and pretzels.
• M&M’s. Turn this peanut butter pretzel situation into a delicious monster cookie by substituting 3/4 cup of the chocolate chunks for the same amount of plain M&M’s. This version is a family favorite and they don’t last 5 minutes on my kitchen counter.
• Cowboy cookies. Go all out and pile your cookie dough full of toasted pecans, shredded coconut and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Everyone will be back for seconds (and thirds!). 

I just know you are going to fall fast in love with these peanut butter pretzel cookies and I cannot wait to hear just how much you love them! Don’t forget to snap a pic and tag #brownedbutterblondie on Instagram so I can share your creations!

Happy baking!

Note: This post was originally published in August 2020. The post has been updated with new images, step-by-step process shots and a few revisions to the recipe. 

If you love these Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies, check out these easy and delicious cookie recipes:

• Caramel Popcorn Cookies
• Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies
• Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies For Two
• Easy Funfetti Sugar Cookies

Print