If you love cookies that hit all the best flavor notes at once, these brown butter pretzel toffee cookies are going to be a favorite. They’re buttery, chewy, a little salty, and loaded with crunchy pretzels and pieces of milk chocolate pretzel toffee.
The secret is the brown butter. Cooking the butter until it turns a beautiful amber color gives the cookies a deep, nutty flavor that makes them taste like you spent way more time on them than you actually did.
Add in the salty pretzels and chunks of chocolate pretzel toffee, and you get a cookie with plenty of texture in every bite. These brown butter pretzel toffee cookies are the kind of treat that disappears quickly, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself making another batch.
If you think this sounds good, you’ll want to try my brown butter chocolate chip toffee cookies next!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Brown butter makes them extra flavorful: Browning the butter gives the cookies a rich, nutty flavor that regular butter just can’t match.
- Sweet and salty: The sweetness of the brown sugar and chocolate pairs perfectly with salty, crunchy pretzels.
- Loaded with texture: You get soft cookie dough, crisp pretzels, and chunks of chocolate pretzel toffee in every bite.
- Easy to make: Once the browned butter has cooled and set, the rest of the cookie dough comes together easily.
- Chewy centers: The combination of brown sugar, egg yolk, and just the right amount of baking time helps create a soft, chewy cookie.
- Chocolate pretzel toffee adds something special: Chunks of the chocolate bar give the cookies a little extra crunch and plenty of chocolate flavor.
- Perfect for sharing: These cookies are great for parties, cookie trays, bake sales, or gifting.
- A little different from the usual cookie: The brown butter, pretzel, and toffee combination makes these stand out from a standard chocolate chip cookie.
- Great for any time of year: You don’t need a special occasion to make a batch of these.
Key Ingredients
See the recipe card at the end of the post for a full list of ingredients and their exact amounts.
- Brown butter: The big flavor booster! Browning the butter gives these cookies a rich, nutty flavor that makes them extra delicious.
- Milk chocolate pretzel toffee bar: The star mix-in! It adds creamy chocolate, crunchy pretzels, and sweet toffee flavor throughout the cookies.
- Pretzels: Add a salty, crunchy texture that balances the sweetness and makes every bite more interesting.
- Egg & egg yolk: Help bind the dough together while adding richness and giving the cookies a soft, chewy texture.
Variations
- Use dark chocolate: Swap the milk chocolate pretzel toffee bar for dark chocolate if you prefer a richer chocolate flavor.
- Add extra pretzels: If you love the salty crunch, add a little more chopped pretzel to the dough.
- Try another chocolate bar: A chocolate bar with caramel, nuts, or another crunchy filling could work well in place of the pretzel toffee bar.
- Add chocolate chips: Stir in a handful of chocolate chips along with the chopped chocolate bar for even more chocolate.
- Make them smaller: Use a smaller cookie scoop for bite-sized cookies and keep an eye on the baking time.
- Add nuts: Chopped pecans or walnuts would pair nicely with the nutty brown butter.
- Finish with flaky salt: Sprinkle a little flaky salt over the cookies after baking for an extra sweet-and-salty finish.
- Use salted pretzels: Salted pretzels add an extra savory contrast to the sweet cookie dough.
How to Make Brown Butter Pretzel Toffee Cookies
Step 1: Brown the butter. Then, let it cool. Transfer it to a large mixing bowl, cover, and refrigerate until it reaches the consistency of softened butter.
Step 2: Beat the butter and sugars until creamy. Then, beat in the remaining wet ingredients.
Step 3: Whisk the dry ingredients in another bowl. Then, mix into the wet ingredients until just combined. Fold in the pretzels and chocolate.
Step 4: Use a 1-inch cookie scoop to place dough balls on a prepared baking sheet.
Step 5: Bake until the edges are slightly browned. Then, remove from the oven and cool on the cookie sheet for 4 to 5 minutes.
Step 6: Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Watch the butter closely: Brown butter can burn quickly, so stir constantly and remove it from the heat once it reaches a slight amber color.
- Keep the brown bits: Don’t leave the brown bits behind when transferring the butter to the mixing bowl. They’re packed with flavor.
- Cool the butter properly: Let the browned butter set until it reaches the consistency of softened butter before adding the sugars.
- Use room-temperature eggs: Room-temperature eggs blend more easily into the butter mixture.
- Don’t overmix the dough: Once you add the dry ingredients, mix just until everything comes together.
- Chop the pretzels coarsely: Larger pieces give the cookies more noticeable salty crunch.
- Distribute the mix-ins evenly: Give the dough a good stir after adding the chocolate and pretzels so each cookie gets plenty.
- Don’t overbake: Pull the cookies when the edges are slightly browned. The centers will continue to set as they cool.
- Let them rest on the baking sheet: The 4-5 minute cooling period helps the cookies firm up enough to transfer without falling apart.
- Use parchment paper: It makes removing the cookies easier and keeps cleanup simple.
Brown Butter Pretzel Toffee Cookies FAQs
Brown butter has a deeper, nuttier flavor than regular butter because the milk solids are toasted during cooking. That extra caramelized flavor is especially noticeable in these cookies because it complements the brown sugar, chocolate, pretzels, and toffee.
The butter should turn a light amber to golden-brown color, and you should see browned milk solids collecting in the bottom of the pan. Stir constantly and watch closely because brown butter can quickly go from perfectly browned to burnt.
Yes. Brown butter can be prepared ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container. When a recipe calls for softened butter, let the refrigerated brown butter soften before using it; King Arthur Baking notes that brown butter keeps for several weeks in the refrigerator when stored airtight.
One common reason is that the browned butter was still too warm when the dough was mixed. Make sure it has cooled and set to a softened-butter consistency before adding the sugars. Overly warm dough can also encourage excessive spreading.
Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container and avoid overbaking them. King Arthur Baking also recommends airtight storage for maintaining softness, and notes that a small piece of fresh white bread can help keep cookies soft.
That’s intentional. The cookies should still be somewhat soft in the center when removed from the oven because they continue cooking and setting from the residual heat of the baking sheet.
The additional yolk contributes richness and helps give the cookies their soft, chewy texture. The recipe specifically identifies the egg and extra yolk as important for keeping the cookies soft and chewy.
Yes. The recipe notes that the dough can be prepared ahead, covered, and chilled until you’re ready to scoop and bake. Homemade cookie dough can generally be refrigerated for about 2-4 days or frozen for longer storage.
For the best texture, enjoy them within 4 to 5 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Yes. Cool the cookies completely, then wrap them well or place them in a freezer-safe airtight container. Freezing is a good option when you want to make the cookies ahead for holidays, parties, or gifting; similar brown-butter cookies are recommended for freezing for longer storage.
Transfer the cookies from the freezer to room temperature and let them thaw while still covered. Once thawed, you can enjoy them at room temperature or warm them briefly if you prefer a softer chocolate center.
Serve These Pretzel Toffee Cookies With These Recipes
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Brown Butter Pretzel Toffee Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 egg yolk, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup pretzel, coarsely chopped
- 6.35 ounce Tony's Chocolonely Milk Chocolate Pretzel Toffee Bar, choped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium sized saucepan, brown butter over medium heat. Stir constantly and cook until butter starts to turn a slight amber color.
- Remove from heat and pour browned butter and all the brown bits into a large mixing bowl, cover, and let cool in the refrigerator until butter starts to set and gets to the consistency of softened butter.
- Once butter has set up a bit, add the sugars and beat until creamy.
- Add the egg, yolk, and vanilla extract. Beat until fully combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined.
- Stir in chopped chocolate pieces and pretzels.
- Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, place cookie dough balls on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges get slightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheet for 4-5 minutes before moving to a wire cooling rack.
Notes
- Watch the butter closely: Brown butter can burn quickly, so stir constantly and remove it from the heat once it reaches a slight amber color.
- Keep the brown bits: Don’t leave the brown bits behind when transferring the butter to the mixing bowl. They’re packed with flavor.
- Cool the butter properly: Let the browned butter set until it reaches the consistency of softened butter before adding the sugars.
- Use room-temperature eggs: Room-temperature eggs blend more easily into the butter mixture.
- Don’t overmix the dough: Once you add the dry ingredients, mix just until everything comes together.
- Chop the pretzels coarsely: Larger pieces give the cookies more noticeable salty crunch.
- Distribute the mix-ins evenly: Give the dough a good stir after adding the chocolate and pretzels so each cookie gets plenty.
- Don’t overbake: Pull the cookies when the edges are slightly browned. The centers will continue to set as they cool.
- Let them rest on the baking sheet: The 4-5 minute cooling period helps the cookies firm up enough to transfer without falling apart.
- Use parchment paper: It makes removing the cookies easier and keeps cleanup simple.
Nutrition
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