These chewy, gooey, white chocolatey cookies with caramel and salty pretzels are my new favorite dessert! All you need is 30 minutes and a few simple ingredients to make these deliciously tasty cookies.
For the best cookies to bake this season, check out my posts for Cowboy Cookies, Cherry Garcia Cookies, Easy Sugar Cookies, and Gingerbread Sugar Cookies.
It’s been a minute since I’ve developed a new recipe for a cookie. And boy was it worth the wait! Although they might seem complicated at first glance, these cookies were super easy to pull together and were complete in just 30 minutes! Serve them to Santa or keep them for yourself — I won’t tell!
Here’s How You Make It
Ready to do a quick inventory of your pantry to see if you can make these delicious cookies in the next 30 min? Go ahead, I’ll wait.
Ready? Let’s go!
- First, preheat your oven to 375 degrees and then very lightly grease a baking sheet OR line it with parchment paper or a baking mat. (not pictured)
- Next, get out a medium bowl and whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. (photo 4)
- Get out another, larger bowl and cream together the sugars and butter. (photos 1-2)
- Add the eggs and vanilla and mix in. (photo 3)
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix till all the ingredients are just combined. (photos 5-6)
- To the dough, add just one cup of the white chocolate chips as well as the crushed pretzels and caramel bits. (photos 7-8)
- Using a large cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop the cookie dough into mounds on the baking sheet and arrange them at least 2-3 inches apart. Then, press reserved white chocolate chips and whole pretzels (optional) into the tops of the cookie mounds. (not pictured)
- Put the cookies in the oven and bake for 9-11 minutes or until they begin to brown just around the edges. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. (not pictured)
- Repeat steps 7-8 until all the cookie dough is baked. (not pictured)
Why This Recipe Works
A twist on the same old– If you’re looking for a new way to mix up the same old, same old chocolate chip cookie, try these! White chocolate chips, caramel, and pretzels make for an unexpected (but delicious) cookie!
Great flavor combination – If you love the combo of sweet and salty then this caramel pretzel white chocolate cookie is for you. A great flavor combination with every bite!
Texture, texture, texture – From the chewy caramel to the crunchy pretzel, and from the crunchy/chewy texture of the white chocolate and the crunchy pretzels and crispy/chewy texture of the cookie dough, these cookies will light up every tastebud and pleasure center in your brain.
Easy ingredients – You probably have just about everything you need for these cookies right in your pantry or fridge. And, if you need to make a quick trip to the grocery first, you’ll find just about everything in the baking aisle or dairy section.
Ideas for Customizing this Recipe
- Swap white chocolate chips for regular milk, semi-sweet, or dark chocolate. All are delicious!
- You can use any kind of pretzel you have on hand. If you like the look of the mini-twists on top but only have pretzel rods (for example) and you don’t think a chunk of pretzel rod will look good on top (I agree here), skip that part.
- Mix up the chocolate chips – use any kind you like (regular, mini, chunk) and any flavor. Just make sure the final amount that you use adds up to 1 ½ cups.
- If you want to make the tops of your cookies more cheerful for a holiday, add colored M&M candies to the top. (Red and green for Christmas, blue for Hannukah, pastel for Easter, and so on.)
Expert Tips
- These white chocolate chip cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 1 week, if they can make it that long in your house (I know they don’t in mine!)
- You can also freeze these cookies for up to 5 months. The pretzels will be more chewy than crisp once thawed.
- Don’t skimp on using REAL butter (not margarin) and remember that “room temperature” should still be firm and slightly cool to the touch, not warm and soft.
- I like to add an extra pretzel or a half pretzel to the tops of my cookies but adding pretzels to the top is optional.
- Kraft makes caramel bits, and they are found with the chocolate chips at most grocery stores.
- To keep these cookies soft and chewy while storing at room temperature, I add a slice of bread to the container too. The bread absorbs any excess moisture and keeps the cookies chewy for up to three days.
More Delicious Recipes
- Chewy White Chocolate Cashew Cookies
- Salted Caramel Brownies
- Cowboy Cookies
- White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
- Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Did you make these cookie? FANTASTIC! Please rate the recipe below!
Caramel Pretzel White Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter - to room temperature (see note)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar - packed
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups white chocolate chips - divided
- 1 cup pretzels - crushed by hand
- 24 pretzels - optional, see note
- ½ cup caramel bits - see note
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and very lightly grease a baking sheet OR line with parchment or a baking mat.
- In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl cream together butter and sugars.
- Mix in eggs and vanilla.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Stir in one cup chocolate chips, crushed pretzels, and caramel bits.
- Use a large cookie scoop to scoop cookie dough into mounds and arrange at least 2-3 inches apart on your prepared baking sheet. Press reserved white chocolate chips and whole pretzels (optional) into the tops of the cookie mounds.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes until cookies begin to brown just around the very edges. Remover from oven and immediately sprinkle coarse sea salt over the tops of the cookies. Allow to cool on the pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Repeat with remaining cookie dough. Store in airtight container up to 1 week (though they won't make it that long without being eaten – just sayin').
What’s the serving size the nutrition info is based on?
Per cookie!
When do you use the coarse sea salt?
I sprinkle the sea salt on top of the cookies immediately after taking them out of the oven.
Made these several times and have always been a hit.
My cookies spread out too thin when baking. I even rolled them into balls and froze them hoping that that would alleviate the situation but it did not.
Any suggestions on how to fix my thin batter?
That’s great to hear that people like them! I’m sorry you’ve been having this issue though. I would make sure you’re getting all of your measurements right while making the batter and if it still turns out thin, I would add flour. One Tb at a time until the batter is the consistency you want.
Delicious. This recipe made 36+ cookies and they weren’t small ones either!