Peanut Butter Pretzel Choc Cookies
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
Brown sugar, peanut butter, cocoa, bits of chocolate. Salted pretzels smashed up with roasted peanuts. Rolos or mini candy dropped in the center. Oven 175°C, 11 min bake. Dough scooped with 50 ml scoop, flattened, pressed into peanut-pretzel mix. 12 to 14 cookies. Snacks with sweet, salty, and melty caramel pockets. Uses baking soda for leavening. Mixes all dry separately. Creams sugars and fats. Egg and yolk. Chunks of chocolate inside. Rest on a wire rack after baking.
Prep:
20 min
Cook:
11 min
Total:
31 min
Servings:
12 servings
#cookies
#peanut butter
#pretzels
#caramel
#baking
#snacks
#chocolate
#nuts
Dark cocoa dusted flour, creamed fats combined with peanut butter and brown sugar until creamy. Eggs, yolk add richness. Folding, not stirring, cocoa, baking soda, and flour. Chocolate chunks folded in last. Roasted peanuts and crunchy smashed pretzels combined separately; pressed against dough- flattened blobs. Center holds caramel candy—Rolo or mini alternatives. Smaller dough balls create more cookies. Bake at 175°C, 11 minutes. Firm edges, soft center. Cool fully on rack after 10-minute rest on baking sheet. Sweet, salty, crunchy, gooey. Melting caramel surprises in every bite. Simple ingredients, small changes turn routine cookie around. Perfect snack with milk or coffee. Crunch varies between pretzel and nut. Texture chaotic but balanced. Melted caramel luxuriant in center. Brown sugar reduced for less sweetness, more nut note.
Ingredients
- 133 g (¾ cup plus 1 tbsp) all-purpose flour
- 21 ml (1½ tbsp) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2.5 ml (½ tsp) baking soda
- 140 g (⅔ cup) light brown sugar, packed
- 135 g (½ cup plus 2 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
- 45 ml (3 tbsp) natural peanut butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 90 g (½ cup) chopped semisweet chocolate
- 70 g (½ cup) roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped
- 60 g (½ cup) pretzels, broken into chunks
- 12 to 14 mini Rolos or similar caramel chocolates
About the ingredients
Scaling ingredients down or swapping allowed without compromising texture. Peanut butter natural style preferred; salted or sweetened adds risk. Cocoa powder quantity important — too much makes bitter. Brown sugar light, less caramel flavor than dark. Butter softened, never melted, for proper creaming. Egg counts strict: one egg plus one yolk, control moisture. Chocolate chunks semi-sweet for balance, sized inconsistently for texture. Roasted unsalted peanuts chopped for crunch, avoid dusting dough. Pretzels broken by hand, chunk size variable; adjusts crunch profile. Caramel candy center requires melty chocolate caramel; mini Rolos or three small candies per cookie standard. Smaller scoop size to produce more evenly sized cookies avoiding overcrowding. Precision weighs better than volume for consistency, especially cocoa and flour.
Method
- Set oven rack center. Heat oven to 175°C (350°F). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk together flour, cocoa powder and baking soda in a bowl.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat brown sugar, butter, peanut butter until fluffy. Add egg and yolk. Beat until uniform.
- Fold in flour mix gently. Then fold in chopped chocolate pieces.
- Combine peanuts and pretzel chunks in a shallow dish.
- Using 50 ml scoop, portion dough balls. Press each ball flat. Roll flat top into peanut-pretzel mix to coat.
- Arrange 5 per sheet, evenly spaced. Press one Rolo (or 3 minis) into center of each cookie dough mound.
- Bake one tray at a time for 11 minutes. Edges should be set but center still soft.
- Cool cookies on the tray 10 minutes, then move to wire rack until completely cooled.
- Store airtight. Cookies keep 3-4 days at room temp, better within 2 days for melty centers.
Cooking tips
Oven preheated to 175°C, baking sheets lined before mixing. Flour, cocoa, soda sifted to unify powders — prevents clumping. Cream butter, peanut butter, and brown sugar medium-high speed; full cream develops texture. Add eggs individually, beat till smooth. Fold dry into wet gently—no overmixing avoids toughness. Fold chocolate last at low speed or by hand. Separate bowl mixes peanuts with pretzels, sets crumbly coating ready. Dough portioned by 50 ml scoop; smaller balls yield 12-14 cookies spaced apart on sheets. Hand flatten each ball, press surfaces firmly into nut-pretzel mix for adherence. Center pressed with caramel candies per cookie. Baking done one sheet at a time for proper airflow. 11 minutes gives just-set edges and soft center that sets on cooling. Cool first on sheet 10 minutes to finish baking gently, then move to rack to fully cool. Store airtight to keep crisp contrast and gooey candy center intact over days.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Use natural peanut butter not sweetened or salted for better control. Butter softened not melted keeps dough structure, creaming creates texture. Beat sugars and fats just until fluffy, avoid over-mixing to keep crumb tender. Add eggs one at a time to emulsify fats properly. Fold dry ingredients gently. Chocolate chunks folded last prevent melting into dough too soon.
- 💡 Pretzels broken into chunks, not powders, for uneven crunch that stands out against peanuts. Use roasted unsalted peanuts chopped coarse - texture varies with bigger pieces. Mix peanut and pretzel bits in a shallow dish for easy dipping. Press dough balls flattened by hand, no rollers, to retain texture air pockets. Press flattened dough firmly onto nut-pretzel mix for full coating.
- 💡 Portion dough with 50 ml scoop for smaller cookies but more uniform shape. Slightly smaller balls yield 12-14 cookies spaced generously on parchment-lined sheets to stop spread. Press caramel candy (Rolos or minis) into center gently but so it sinks slightly. Baking one tray at a time ensures even heat, no crowding. 11 minutes bake time at 175°C, edges just set center soft. Watch closely toward end.
- 💡 Cool cookies on baking sheet 10 minutes to finish baking gently from residual heat, then transfer to wire rack to fully cool. This prevents breaking soft centers too soon. Store airtight at room temp up to 4 days but best eaten within 2 for gooey centers. Humidity affects caramel texture and cookie crispness. Avoid refridgeration, keeps caramel firm shuts off melting.
- 💡 Flour quantities balanced to offset added moisture from peanut butter and eggs. Cocoa powder kept modest to avoid bitterness overpowering nuts. Brown sugar reduced to highlight peanut flavor over sweetness. Semi-sweet chocolate chunks chopped uneven for bursts of flavor. Flatten dough balls by hand to prevent toughening. Lower oven temp at 175°C extends bake gently, firm edges soft centers hang tight.
Common questions
Why use natural peanut butter?
Less salt and sugar present. Avoid over sweet or salty dough. Keeps flavor nut forward. Effects texture too - oily natural helps blend fats better. Salted versions throw off balance.
Can I use other caramel candies?
Yes but adjust count. Minis like Kit Kats or Coffee Crisp need about 3 per cookie to bulk same volume. Watch texture - candy must melt cleanly. Some may be too rigid or syrupy affecting bake.
What if cookies spread too much?
Check butter not melted, softened only. Dough balls too warm or too large increases spread. Use smaller scoop, chill briefly before baking. Bake one tray at a time for consistent heat distribution.
How to store for best texture?
Airtight container room temp only. Caramel centers sensitive to moisture. Refrigeration firms caramel and dulls crunch. Cookies lose crisp edges over days so best within 2 days. Can freeze dough balls before baking.
