Recipe

September 22, 2022

Salty Chocolate Pretzel Rye Cookies

Recipe: Tieghan Gerard

Total Time: 25 minutes, plus chilling time

“These are crisp on the edges, doughy in the middle and loaded with chocolate. 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.”

Ingredients

  • 1 cup salted butter, at room temperature
  • 3⁄4 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1⁄4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1⁄2 cups dark rye flour
  • 3⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1⁄2 tsp baking soda
  • 1⁄4 tsp fine pink Himalayan salt
  • 1 1⁄2 cups chopped dark chocolate chunks or chips
  • 1 cup mini pretzel twists, roughly crushed
  • Flaky sea salt

Directions

Yield: Makes 24 cookies

Make Dough

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Melt 1⁄2 cup of butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until butter begins to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer butter to heatproof bowl and place bowl in freezer to chill for 10 to 15 minutes.
  2. In large bowl, using electric mixer, beat together cooled brown butter, remaining 1⁄2 cup of butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar on low, then slowly increase speed to high and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is combined, about 1 minute per egg. Add vanilla and beat until creamy, 1 minute more. Add both flours, baking soda and salt, and beat until just combined. Fold in chocolate chunks.

Bake Cookies

  1. Roll dough into 1 tbsp balls. Arrange balls on prepared baking sheet, spacing 2″ apart. Gently press a few crushed pretzel pieces all over each dough ball, firmly sticking them in.
  2. Bake cookies for 7 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven and tap it firmly against counter a few times to flatten cookies. Return to oven and bake until cookies are just beginning to set around edges but are still doughy in center, 1 to 3 minutes more.
  3. Remove baking sheet from oven and tap firmly against counter to flatten cookies again. Sprinkle cookies with flaky salt and let cool on baking sheet; they will continue to cook slightly.
  4. Enjoy cookies warm or at room temperature. Store at room temperature in airtight container for up to 4 days.