Salted Pretzel Brownie Cookies

These Salted Pretzel Brownie Cookies are fudgy, soft and are the perfect blend of a cookie and a brownie! They are loaded with crunchy pretzels and drizzled with caramel for an extra decadence. The perfect chocolate treat you need! 

Valentine’s Day is almost upon us! Oh my goodness. Can you even believe it?! I feel like January took about 3 years to pass and now we are almost halfway through February. 

I can’t even. 

Valentine’s Day is always a sweet holiday for me. Ben and I have been together now for almost 5 years so we don’t really go all out and celebrate anymore. Instead, we dress up, stay home and make the same dinner we did for our very first Valentine’s Day which is steak, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese and red wine! It’s SO GOOD and a fun tradition to have with each other. 

One of my favorite things that Ben got me when we were first dating and we had a long distance relationship was a big manilla envelope full of individual letters that all had different topics. One said “Open when you miss me” another said “Open when you’ve had a bad day” etc. It was SO thoughtful and sweet. 

Valentine’s Day Thoughts 

Which brings me to the point – on Valentine’s Day, You don’t have to spend a ton of money to make someone feel special. 

Although it is a total hallmark holiday, it’s a fun day to tell ANYONE in your life how you feel about them. It could be your spouse (Hey Ben, I love you!), your Mom, your best friend, or hey, even paying a compliment to a complete stranger! 

And what better way is there to say “Hey, you matter to me.” other than making a chocolate dessert?! Specifically these Salted Pretzel Brownie Cookies?!

Yup, these cookies are my dream gift. Okay, I still wouldn’t mind some flowers maybe (Hey, Ben, are you still reading?)..but a dozen of these cookies would be swoon worthy! 

They are fudgy, moist, soft and dense – just like a good brownie should be. They have crinkly tops and are thick on the inside – not at all cakey! 

Oh, and did I mention that they have tons of different textures? Yup! They have both crushed pretzels inside of the dough and also dark chocolate morsels! 

I love topping the dough with a pretzel for an extra crunchy garnish! Oh, and if you want to take these even more over the top?! Drizzle caramel on top along with a big pinch of sea salt! YES. 

Seriously you guys…these are drool worthy and the perfect dessert for any occasion. So let’s get into how to make them! 

Ingredients You Need: 

• dark chocolate chips (can use semi-sweet) 
• all purpose flour
• baking powder
• espresso powder (optional but i really love the extra depth of flavor this adds)
• salted butter (of course!)
• granulated and brown sugar
• cocoa powder
• vanilla extract
• eggs
• chocolate chips 
• mini salted pretzels 
• store-bought caramel sauce 
• flaky sea salt 

How to Make Salted Pretzel Brownie Cookies:

Start out by melting about 8 oz of dark chocolate (you can also use semi-sweet). I used the old fashioned (lol) microwave method and microwaved mine for 30 second increments, making sure to stir each time I checked the chocolate chips. When they are melted, they should look like this: 

Yum. I know if you’re anything like me you may just want to eat that entire bowl of chocolate but we must continue on! Set it aside to let it cool for a bit. 

In the meantime, using a stand mixer or a handheld (which is what I used), mix the softened butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar until combined. 

To the butter/sugar/goodness, add in 2 room temperature eggs and vanilla extract. Beat until creamy and smooth. 

Now, add in the melted chocolate that you set aside. Use the mixer and combine. 

Using a sifter, sift in the dry ingredients which include all purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, espresso powder and a pinch of salt. 

Lastly, gently fold in about ¼ cup of dark chocolate chips and ⅓ cup of chopped mini salted pretzels.

Now it should look like this!

Set it in the fridge to let the batter chill for about 30-45 minutes.

When it’s chilling, go ahead and preheat the oven to 350. 

Once chilled, use a tablespoon to scoop out about 1.5 tbsp worth of dough. Roll it into a ball as best as you can. Place on a lined cookie sheet. If desired, gently place a mini pretzel in the middle of the ball and push down gently. 

I fit about 8 cookies on my sheet at a time so unless you have 2 cookie sheets, I would recommend baking these in 2 batches. 

Bake these for 10-12 minutes. You don’t want them to be overdone so don’t be scared if it still looks a LITTLE under baked in the middle. Brownie cookies are supposed to be fudgy and they will continue to cook a little bit while cooling. 

Speaking of cooling, once they are done baking, let them cool on the cookie sheet for about 10 minutes. Gently remove them onto a wired rack and let them fully cool. 

Then, you’re ready to get crazy! You could drizzle with more melted chocolate. Or you could do what I did and drizzle generously with warm store-bought caramel sauce! And then add a big pinch of flaky sea salt on top because HEY, it’s Valentine’s Day so don’t forget about loving yourself too! 

These are wonderful and I truly hope you enjoy them!

Looking for more Valentine’s Day Dessert recipes? Try these out: 

Dark Chocolate Lava Cakes 

Dark Chocolate Truffle Brownies 

White Chocolate Cranberry Shortbread Cookies 

Thank you so much for following along here, friends! Want to see more? Be sure to follow ourbalancedbowl on Instagram and tag me with your photo if you end up making a recipe! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the Our Balanced Bowl Facebook page! I always love to see your re-creations! If you do make a recipe, it would make my whole day if you were to rate and comment so I can get your feedback! Lots of love! – Haylie