Salted Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies

My husband Stephen’s face lit up as he read the headline on the front page of the newspaper. According to the findings of experts from the University of Michigan, eating a peanut butter and jam sandwich gives a person more than half an hour of extra life. Vindicated at last! For the past twenty-five years, six days a week, Stephen has eaten rice cakes topped with a thick layer of crunchy peanut butter for lunch. Occasionally, I have tried to tempt him with a fluffy cheese omelet or a buttery avocado toast. He declines politely and reaches for the jar of Jif®.

Salted Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies

The peanut butter and jam sandwich is beneficial because of the peanuts, according to Olivier Jolliet, PhD., the lead author of this study. The Beatles were still together the last time I ate a peanut butter and jam sandwich but these salted peanut butter pretzel cookies are having a moment right now. This recipe from the dedicated cooks at America’s Test Kitchen, published in their foolproof and comprehensive cookbook, The Perfect Cookie, produces cookies that are simultaneously chewy, crunchy, salty and sweet. The peanut butter and coarsely crushed pretzels are a salty counterpoint to the sweet, rich, bittersweet chocolate chips creating a symphony of flavor in every mouthful. As a finishing touch, the cookies are sprinkled lightly with just a whisper of sea salt after they emerge from the oven, so the salt flakes remain crunchy and distinct. And now, I have a confession to make. Rushing off to work the other day, I dropped a container of peanut butter and a few rice cakes into my lunch bag. They were satisfying, but not nearly as delicious as these cookies.

Assemble your ingredients. Chop the pretzel sticks coarsely into 1/2-inch pieces using a sharp knife. You can also place the pretzel sticks in a resealable sandwich bag and roll over them several times with a rolling pin. Combine the flour, oats, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

Using a stand mixer with the paddle beater, mix the butter or margarine and sugar on medium speed until smooth. This should take about one minute. Add the peanut butter, egg and vanilla and mix until they are fully incorporated, about thirty seconds. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the sides of the bowl. Reduce the speed of the mixer to low and add half of the flour and oats mixture. When just combined, add the second half. Mix only until the flour disappears. Add the coarsely chopped pretzels and chocolate chips. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the dough is firm. This will take at least one hour. Leaving the dough in the refrigerator for twenty-four hours is even better.

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a cookie scoop or two spoons, portion out the cookie dough into balls that measure  about two tablespoons. Cover the balls with a sheet of plastic wrap and using the bottom of a dry measuring cup, flatten the balls until they are about 1/2-inch thick. Remove the plastic wrap. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for ten minutes, until they are puffed and light golden on top.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for five minutes. Sprinkle the cookies with a pinch of flake sea salt, such as Maldon salt. Allow the cookies to cool completely before serving.

Print Recipe

Salted Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies

Cookies, Cakes, Pies and Desserts

By America's Test Kitchen – Serves: 40

Prep Time: 15 minutes + resting time – Cooking Time: 30 minutes – Total Time: 45 minutes + minimum 1 hour rest period for the dough

Peanut butter oatmeal cookies, sweetened with brown sugar complemented by a generous helping of bittersweet chocolate chips and crunchy, salty pretzel bits.

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cups (6 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (3 ounces) quick oats
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter or stick margarine, softened
• 1 ¼ cups packed (8 3/4 ounces) light brown sugar
• ⅔ cup crunchy peanut butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1 ½ ounces pretzel sticks, coarsely chopped (2/3 cup)
• Flake sea salt for sprinkling on cookies AFTER baking

Instructions

1

Assemble your ingredients. Chop the pretzel sticks coarsely into 1/2-inch pieces using a sharp knife. You can also place the pretzel sticks in a resealable sandwich bag and roll over them several times with a rolling pin. Combine the flour, oats, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

2

Using a stand mixer with the paddle beater, mix the butter or margarine and sugar on medium speed until smooth. This should take about one minute. Add the peanut butter, egg and vanilla and mix until they are fully incorporated, about thirty seconds. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the sides of the bowl.

3

Reduce the speed of the mixer to low and add half of the flour and oats mixture. When just combined, add the second half. Mix only until the flour disappears. Add the coarsely chopped pretzels and chocolate chips.

4

Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the dough is firm. This will take at least one hour. Leaving the dough in the refrigerator for twenty-four hours is even better.

5

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a cookie scoop or two spoons, portion out the cookie dough into balls that measure two tablespoons. Cover the balls with a sheet of plastic wrap and using the bottom of a dry measuring cup, flatten the balls until they are about 1/2-inch thick.  Remove the plastic wrap. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for ten minutes, until they are puffed and light golden on top.

6

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for five minutes. Sprinkle the cookies with a pinch of flake sea salt, such as Maldon salt. Allow the cookies to cool completely before serving.

Notes

For those of you who live in Toronto, I found Maldon salt in the spice section of Sobey's last week.