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Salty Chocolate Pretzel Rye Cookies

Source of Recipe

From "Half Baked Harvest Every Day" by Tieghan Gerard


Recipe Introduction

"By now you know the story of my mom having dessert on the table before anything else was even considered. You also probably know cookies were her number one and still are to this day. When my brothers and I were growing up, she could bake them completely by memory. Always crisp on the edges and doughy in the middle. Her not-so-secret recipe? The one on the back of the Nestlé Toll House chocolate chip bag. But her special touch was extra chocolate chips. I'd share the recipe with you, but it's probably sitting on a shelf in your pantry right now. You know me, though...I love to add to a favorite. Just like Mom's, these are crisp on the edges, doughy in the middle, and loaded with chocolate. The differences? Rye flour, pretzels, brown butter, and chocolate chunks. The rye adds unexpected flavor. It's nutty and rich, and when combined with the salty pretzels and brown butter, it makes for a cookie that really does melt in your mouth like Mom's. Even Asher loves them, and let me tell you, that girl is picky about her cookies. She says the pretzels with the chocolate chunks really get her excited—that salty-sweet thing that makes every dessert better."

List of Ingredients

â—¦  1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature
â—¦  ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
â—¦  ¼ cup granulated sugar
â—¦  2 large eggs, at room temperature
â—¦  2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
â—¦  1 ½ cups dark rye flour
â—¦  ¾ cup all-purpose flour
â—¦  ½ teaspoon baking soda
â—¦  ¼ teaspoon fine pink Himalayan salt
â—¦  1 ½ cups chopped dark chocolate chunks or chips
â—¦  1 cup mini pretzel twists, roughly crushed
â—¦  Flaky sea salt


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Melt ½ cup of the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the butter begins to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the butter to a heatproof bowl and place the bowl in the freezer to chill for 10 to 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the cooled brown butter, the remaining ½ cup butter, the brown sugar, and the granulated sugar on low, then slowly increase the speed to high and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is combined, about 1 minute per egg. Add the vanilla and beat until creamy, 1 minute more. Add both flours, the baking soda, and the salt, and beat until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks.

Roll the dough into 1-tablespoon balls. Arrange the balls on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart. Gently press a few crushed pretzel pieces all over each dough ball, firmly sticking them in.

Bake the cookies for 7 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and tap it firmly against the counter a few times to flatten the cookies. Return to the oven and bake until the cookies are just beginning to set around the edges but are still doughy in the center, 1 to 3 minutes more. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and tap it firmly against the counter to flatten the cookies again. Sprinkle the cookies with flaky salt and let them cool on the baking sheet; they will continue to cook slightly. Enjoy the cookies warm or at room temperature. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Makes 24 cookies