Well, well, well – what do we have here? Is that the perfect combination of sweet and salty and gooey goodness? You bet your pretzel buns it is! With another upcoming Holiday in the books, it’s that time of year to dish another one of my favorite cookie recipes. Loaded with peanut butter, caramel, chocolate chips, pretzels and topped with sea salt – these salted caramel peanut butter cookies are unforgettable.
Psst, these make the perfect gift for that foodie in your life. You’re welcome.
The kids will love these, too, because honestly who can resist peanut butter, gooey caramel and crunchy pretzel. The possibilities of mixing up these topping ingredients are endless, too, like incorporating marshmallows, pistachios, or even dried cranberries!
And these are an absolute hit at any party or Holiday gathering. So grab the recipe, and be sure to stash away some for yourself because these babies will go QUICK in every household.
Soft and chewy salted caramel peanut butter cookies
Soft and chewy salted caramel peanut butter cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 12 tbsp unsalted butter (softened) *or Ghee
- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar (packed)
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2/3 cup peanut butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 cups pretzels *preferably the minis
- 1 bag soft caramels ~24 pieces (chopped)
- sea salt for garnish *sprinkle on top before baking
Instructions
- Start by unwrapping your caramel pieces and crushing the pretzels first. The caramel I bought came in tiny 1/4 inch squares, which I then cut each into fours. Place in a bowl and set aside for later. Put your pretzels in a ziploc bag and lightly break using your fist or rolling pin. You don't want crumbs, so be sure not to overly crush them.
- Preheat your oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt – set aside. In your mixer, start by combining butter, brown sugar, vanilla and peanut butter and blend on medium speed until smooth.
- Incorporate the egg and egg yolk separately until blended.
- On low speed, slowly add the flour in increments until mixed thoroughly. Then fold in the chocolate chips, pretzels and half the amount of caramel pieces.
- You want to make 1/2 inch balls (which will make about 24 cookies), and lightly flatten before placing on the baking sheet. Leave about 1 1/2 inch between each cookie. Before placing in the oven, garnish the tops with extra caramel and pretzel pieces.
- Bake for no more than 11 minutes (for a chewy texture) – placing immediately on a wire rack to cool (so the bottoms do not overcook on the pan).
- Garnish immediately with sea salt once out of the oven.
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