Do you love peanut butter? Then you must try these peanut butter pretzel cookies. They taste sweet but also salty and are soft, chewy but also crunchy. Simply a dream.
Making these cookies is very easy, but you need a little more time compared to other cookie recipes because the dough needs to chill twice. First the whole dough has to chill because it is very soft and otherwise you are unable to shape it into balls and secondly before baking because otherwise the cookies spread too much in the oven.
Tools & Equipment
- 2 large baking sheets
- Ice cream scoop
- Quarter baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Silicone baking mats or parchment paper
- Silicone spatula
- Small bowl
- Stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment
- Whisk
- Wire rack
Recipe Tips
Peanut Butter: The key to making this recipe work is that you don’t use natural peanut butter, as the texture of the cookies would not be the same. I used creamy peanut butter because the cookies already have a lot of crunch by adding the pretzels. However, if you want more crunch, feel free to use crunchy peanut butter.
Pretzels: I used pretzels sprinkled with salt. You can, of course, use pretzels that don’t have extra salt or add chocolate pretzels if you like to have some chocolate in your cookies.
Chill the Dough: This step is important and you can make the dough balls ahead of time and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you chill the dough balls for more than 2 hours, let them sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before baking.
Ingredients for Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies
- All-purpose flour (550)
- Baking soda
- Butter
- Egg
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Peanut butter, creamy
- Pretzels
- Salt
- Vanilla extract
Directions – How to Make Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies
In the bowl of a stand mixer beat butter and sugar on medium-high, for about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat on medium until light and fluffy, for about 1 minute.
Add peanut butter and beat on medium speed until fully combined, for about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Mix together flour, salt, and baking soda.
Beat in the dry ingredients on low speed until the dough comes together, for about 30 seconds. Fold in pretzels with a silicone spatula. Cover the dough with plastic and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Place dough balls of 25-28g each on a quarter baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Put in the fridge and chill for 30-60 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment and place 6 cookies on a baking sheet.
Bake cookies for 9-10 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
Storage: You can keep these peanut butter pretzel cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Freezing Instructions: You can freeze baked cookies or unbaked dough balls for up to 3 months. To do this, place cookies or dough balls in a freezer bag or an airtight container. Do not thaw frozen dough balls before baking, but bake for an extra minute instead.
My Summary for Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies
Difficulty: Simple.
Taste & Texture: These cookies taste sweet and salty at the same time, and the peanut butter flavor really stands out. They are soft and chewy in the center, with a little crunch from the added pretzels.
Time: Making the dough takes about 30 minutes. After that the dough has to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Shaping the dough balls takes about 10 minutes and the second chilling takes 30-60 minutes. Baking time is 9-10 minutes per baking sheet.
More Peanut Butter Recipes
- Dulce de Leche Peanut Butter Cake
- Peanut Butter Granola
- Peanut Butter M&M Cookies
- Peanut Butter Protein Bars
- Peanut Butter Spider Cookies