Brown Butter Salted Caramel Pretzel (Print Version)
Chewy cookies with brown butter, caramel, pretzels, and chocolate chips topped with sea salt.
# List of Ingredients:
→ Wet Ingredients
01 - 1 cup unsalted butter
02 - 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
03 - ½ cup granulated sugar
04 - 2 large eggs
05 - 2 tsp vanilla extract
→ Dry Ingredients
06 - 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
07 - 1 tsp baking soda
08 - ½ tsp baking powder
09 - 1 tsp coarse kosher salt
→ Mix-Ins
10 - 1½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
11 - 1 cup chopped pretzels
12 - 1 cup caramel baking bits or soft caramels, chopped
13 - Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
# Step-by-step Instructions:
01 - Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until butter foams and turns golden brown with a nutty aroma, approximately 5–7 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, combine browned butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat until smooth and well combined.
03 - Add eggs and vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Mix until fully incorporated and smooth.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt until evenly distributed.
05 - Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Do not overmix.
06 - Gently fold in chocolate chips, pretzels, and caramel bits until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
07 - Cover dough and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to 24 hours for deeper flavor development.
08 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
09 - Scoop 2-tablespoon portions of dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
10 - Bake for 11–13 minutes, until edges are golden brown but centers appear slightly underbaked for a chewy texture.
11 - Immediately sprinkle hot cookies with flaky sea salt. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The brown butter adds this incredible depth that makes people think you're secretly a professional pastry chef
- That perfect salty sweet combination keeps everyone coming back for just one more cookie
02 -
- The chilling time is non negotiable if you want thick chewy cookies instead of flat crispy ones
- Watch your butter like a hawk in the first step because it can go from perfectly browned to burned in seconds
03 -
- Use a light colored pan for browning butter so you can actually see the color change happening
- Scoop your dough onto a cold baking sheet to help cookies hold their shape better