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Caramel Pretzel Cookies are soft chewy cookies stuffed with gooey caramel and loaded with lots of salty, crunchy pretzels. This is a glorious combination of sweet, salty with contrasting textures.
I have to give my husband credit for these amazing cookies. A couple of weeks ago, he was picking up groceries at the store and he brought home some bakery cookies.
Now, if you’ve ever lived the life of a food blogger, especially a food blogger who is obsessed with desserts, you will know that there is never a shortage of baked goods around the house.
We are constantly up over our ears in cake, cookies, muffins, cheesecake, and brownies.
Why did my husband bring home cookies from the grocery? Especially since, in my not-so-humble opinion, most grocery stores tend to have sub-par cookies.
He brought them home because these cookies weren’t just the average chocolate chip cookie, there were Caramel Pretzel Cookies. Just the name sounds pretty amazing, right?
Caramel Pretzel Cookies
The cookies he brought home were good, but truly not amazing. However, I was convinced that these flavors could be made into one awesome cookie.
I started with my favorite cookie base. I added crushed pretzels and stuffed each ball of dough with a Rolo.
And then I waited for the cookie dough to chill, my least favorite part of cookie baking, but arguably the most important.
Salted Caramel Pretzel Cookies
When these cookies finally came out of the oven, they were the softest, most fantastically gooey, caramelly, cookies with a fabulous salty crunch for contrast.
I don’t know if those descriptors are all real words, but that was a sentence from my heart. These are awesome cookies!
Caramel Pretzel Cookie Recipe
- Cream butter and sugars together in a large bowl. Beat in egg and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Add to butter mixture.
- Stir until combined. Stir in crushed pretzels. Using about a tablespoon of dough, roll each ball around a Rolo, completely sealing the candy inside the dough
- Chill the cookie dough balls for at least 2 hrs or up to a couple of days if you don’t want to eat them right away.
- Preheat oven to 350 and grease cookie sheet. Bake for 8-11 minutes until edges are lightly brown. Do not over-bake. The centers may still look doughy.
- Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then cool completely on wire rack.
If you want to read some tips on how to make soft, puffy cookies, start by reading my post on the best ever chocolate chip cookies.
The basic recipe is very similar to these cookies. I also recommend eating these cookies within 24 hours of baking them, or else the pretzels become slightly stale.
They are still great on later days, but they are the best while the pretzel still have their crunch. Nothing else too complicated. Happy Baking!!
Caramel Pretzel Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups butter softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 T vanilla
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 T cornstarch
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 cups crushed pretzels
- 36 Rolo candies
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugars together in a large bolwl. Beat in egg and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Add to butter mixture.
- Stir until combined. Stir in crushed pretzels. Using a couple of tablespoon of dough, roll each ball around a Rolo, completely sealing the candy inside the dough
- Chill the cookie dough balls for at least 2 hrs or up to a couple of days if you don't want to eat them right away.
- Preheat oven to 350 and grease cookie sheet. Bake for 8-11 minutes until edges are lightly brown. Do not over-bake. The centers may still look doughy.
- Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then cool completely on wire rack.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
{originally published 8/11/14 – recipe notes and photos updated 2/16/21}
Salted Caramel Pretzel Cupcakes
And for another great sweet and salty treat, try these Snack Lover’s Rice Krispie Treats by Glorious Treats
I thought they were a bit too much flour tasting until you got to the Rollo. Just meh for me.
Sorry to hear that the cookies weren’t a win for you, Tessy. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.
Hi – I made these today and must have done something wrong. I followed the recipe to a tee but had so much dough that I could have made 6 dozen cookies or more! The dough was so dry that it took almost 2 tbsp. to cover the Rolo. I’m baking them tomorrow so I don’t know yet how they’ll turn out once they’re baked.
I’m pretty sure these cookies are what dreams are made of. I’ll be making these on repeat!
I’m curious how you refrigerate after rolling the dough around the rollos? I would think you would refrigerate the dough then put around the rolos, so do you put them on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for 2 hours? I’m a bit confused. I’m in the middle of making these now, I’m sure they will be great!
FYI- I just made these, followed your recipe exactly and came out with double the amount- 6 dozen! Maybe yous are really huge, but I rolled mine around the Rolo to about the size of a golf ball.