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Chocolate caramel pretzel cookies

Chocolate caramel pretzel cookies

Chewy chocolate cookies, with luxurious pools of caramel and crunchy salted pretzels.
Prep Time 3 hours
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Course Dessert
Servings 24 cookies

Ingredients
  

  • 1 can condensed milk
  • 225 g unsalted butter softened
  • 1 tsp instant coffee powder dissolved in 50ml boiling water
  • 100 g granulated sugar
  • 320 g light brown sugar
  • 240 g rye flour
  • 240 g plain flour
  • 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • Pinch fine sea salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 200 g dark chocolate at least 70% or above, roughly chopped
  • 60 g salted plain pretzels roughly chopped
  • Flaky sea salt to finish

Instructions
 

To make your own caramel

  • Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to the boil, then carefully submerge your tin of condensed milk in the water, ensuring the top is covered completely.
    N.B. If your tin has a paper slip, remove this before putting it in the water.
  • Pop a lid on top and then boil for 3hrs, topping up the water that may have evaporated as you go, so the tin is always submerged. Meanwhile, prep your cookie dough.

To make the cookies

  • Melt your butter in a saucepan over a low to medium heat, stirring occasionally and swirling the butter around the pan. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam and sizzle around the edges. Keep on the heat for about 5-8 minutes, until the butter starts to turn a golden brown. The milk solids on the bottom of the pan will start to toast and darken in colour and it will smell intensely buttery, nutty, and rich.
    N.B. Your butter can burn, so keep the heat low to medium and stir regularly, keeping an eye on it at all times
  • Now make your coffee. You only need a little bit so either mix 1tsp instant powder with half a cup of water, or use freshly ground beans in a cafetière and take 4tbsp from that. Add this to your browned butter.
  • Set the saucepan aside to cool for 30mins.
  • Preheat your oven to 180C / 350F.
  • Once the butter and coffee mixture has cooled, pour into a large bowl and whisk in the sugars using an electric whisk until pale in colour.
  • Add your eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition and then add 2tsp of vanilla extract. Whisk once more.
  • In a separate bowl, mix your flours, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and a pinch of salt.
  • Add this to your wet ingredients in thirds, whisking after each addition. Then use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl, and combine once more so no flecks of flour are left.
  • Add your roughly chopped chocolate and pretzels, then use a spoon to ensure that everything is evenly distributed.
  • Place the bowl in the fridge to rest for 1hr.
  • When the caramel has cooled completely, take your bowl out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature for 15mins so it’s easier to work with. When ready, add teaspoons of caramel in and amongst the cracks in the dough. Do not mix. You want pools of caramel in your cookie dough. I use a spoon to “open up” parts of the cookie dough that are really stuck together to wedge some caramel in there.
  • Line two large baking trays {that will fit in your fridge!} with parchment.
  • Using a size 20 portioner or ice cream scoop, scoop balls of cookie dough onto your trays, spacing them an inch or so apart. They are going to spread!
    N.B. A size 20 portioner is the equivalent of about 50g of cookie dough, so if you don’t have one, you can use scales to measure out your dough.
  • Pop your tray in the fridge for 30mins for the dough to firm up again.
  • Bake for 13-15mins, until the cookies have spread out and the edges are golden in colour. They should still be slightly gooey in the centre if you want a slightly more chewy texture.
Keyword caramel, chocolate, chocolate chip, chocolate chip cookie, cookie, cookies, pretzel