Soft baked salted caramel peanut butter pretzel cookies
Your recipe for ooey-gooey peanut butter cookies with salted caramel, pretzel bits and chocolate chips - your Holiday cookie on steroids!
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)
- 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.