These caramel pretzel cookies are soft, chewy brown sugar cookies loaded with crunchy pretzel pieces and stuffed with a gooey caramel center. Sweet, salty and super easy to make, with no dough chilling required!
Ok, can we just go ahead and talk about the fact that these cookies are the perfect combination of salty and sweet? You get the toasty crunch of the pretzels, the buttery brown sugar dough, a little sprinkle of sea salt, and then that melt-in-your-mouth caramel oozing out of the middle. Good. Gracious.
They bake up thick and puffy, so they really hold on to all of that caramel goodness. A pinch of cinnamon gives them a warm, cozy flavor, which is why they earned a spot on our big list of Christmas cookie recipes. Don't wait for the holidays to make them, though!
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Soft caramel candies. Any brand of those little square, individually wrapped soft caramels works, so use your favorite. Just a heads up, Kraft caramels firm up once the cookies cool, while Werther's Original Soft Caramels stay soft even after cooling. You need 24 caramels, one for each cookie. Skip caramel sauce here, since it will run right out of the dough.
- Pretzels. Mini pretzel twists are the easiest to crush. Toss them in a zip-top bag and break them up with a rolling pin, leaving some bigger pieces for crunch. Pretzel sticks work too. Use regular salted pretzels for that sweet and salty flavor.
- Butter. You'll need 2 sticks, softened to room temperature so they cream up light and fluffy. Salted or unsalted both work, since the pretzels bring plenty of salt either way.
- Brown sugar and granulated sugar. Brown sugar keeps these cookies chewy and adds a lovely caramel-like flavor. Light or dark brown sugar both work. Dark gives the cookies a deeper, richer flavor.
- Corn starch. Just 2 teaspoons help keep the cookies thick and soft so they can wrap around the caramel. If you're out, the cookies will still taste great, they'll just bake up a little flatter.
- Cinnamon. A little ground cinnamon makes these taste warm and cozy. You can swap in pumpkin pie spice or leave it out.
- Flaky sea salt. This is optional, but a pinch on top before baking makes the salty-sweet flavor really pop. I like Maldon sea salt flakes, and coarse sea salt works too.
Helpful Tips
Seal the caramel in completely. Pinch the dough closed all the way around each caramel so none of it is peeking out. If there's a gap, the caramel can leak out and burn on the pan. A fully sealed cookie keeps all that gooey goodness in the middle.
Use enough dough. About 3 tablespoons of dough per cookie (a heaping 2-tablespoon scoop) gives you 24 cookies and plenty of dough to wrap around each caramel. Flatten the dough in your palm first, then set the caramel in the middle and fold the dough up around it.
Don't overbake them. Pull the cookies out when the edges are lightly golden and the centers still look a little soft. They keep firming up on the hot pan, and taking them out a minute early is what keeps them soft and chewy.
Let them rest on the pan. The caramel is very hot right out of the oven. Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack, and before sneaking that first bite!
Warm them up to re-melt the caramel. If the caramel firms up after the cookies cool, pop one in the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds and it's gooey all over again. What's better than a warm cookie? Nothing.
Variations
- Chocolate chip. Stir 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips into the dough along with the pretzels for a salty-sweet chocolate version.
- Chocolate caramel center. Swap the soft caramels for Rolo candies. You get chocolate and caramel in every bite!
- Turtle-style. Replace half of the pretzels with chopped toasted pecans for a fun take on turtle candies.
- Drizzled. Drizzle the cooled cookies with melted chocolate or caramel sauce, then finish with a few more flakes of sea salt.
- Holiday sparkle. Roll the dough balls in red and green sanding sugar before baking for a festive look on your Christmas cookie tray.
Serving Ideas
These caramel pretzel cookies are amazing warm with a tall glass of cold milk or a mug of hot cocoa. For an easy dessert, sandwich a scoop of vanilla ice cream between two cookies, or crumble one over a bowl of salted caramel pecan ice cream.
During the holidays, add them to a cookie tray with Mama's Jumbo Snickerdoodle Cookies and Homemade Mint Oreos, or pile them onto a hot chocolate charcuterie board. They're also perfect for a cookie exchange or a homemade gift. Just stack them in a tin with parchment paper between the layers.
Storing & Freezing
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. The caramel firms up a bit as the cookies sit, so give them a quick 5 to 10 seconds in the microwave to bring back that gooey center.
These cookies freeze really well, and I often tuck extras in the freezer anyway. Freeze baked cookies in a single layer until firm, then move them to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature, then warm them in the microwave for a few seconds.
You can also freeze the stuffed dough balls. Freeze them on a lined baking sheet until firm, then store them in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Bake them straight from the freezer and add 2 to 3 minutes to the bake time.
More Cookie Recipes
If you loved these caramel pretzel cookies, here are a few more cookie recipes you might enjoy:
- Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies
- Rocky Road Cookies
- Chocolate Nutella Bars
- Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
Recipe
Caramel Pretzel Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup packed brown sugar light or dark
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened to room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups pretzels mini twists, roughly crushed
- 24 soft caramel candies unwrapped, such as Werther's Original Soft Caramels
- Extra pretzels for topping optional
- flaky sea salt for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap the caramels and set them aside.
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer, or in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the softened butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix on low speed for 1 to 2 minutes, until well combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, corn starch, salt and cinnamon.
- With the mixer running on low, add the dry ingredients a little at a time and mix just until combined. Stir in the crushed pretzels by hand.
- Scoop about 3 tablespoons of dough (a heaping 2-tablespoon scoop) and flatten it in your palm. Set a caramel in the center, then wrap the dough around it and pinch it closed so the caramel is completely sealed inside. Roll it into a ball and place it on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and caramels to make 24 cookies, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Press a few extra pretzel pieces into the tops of the cookies if you like, and sprinkle each one with a pinch of flaky sea salt.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the centers still look a little soft.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes (the caramel is very hot), then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition details are an estimate, per serving.
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