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Wholesome Peanut Butter Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies – super easy, but yet still oh-so-delicious. These are some of the best cookies. Decadent, extra peanutty, and loaded with oats, chocolate chunks, salted pretzels and made without any refined sugars or gluten. Every bite has a chewy crisp edge with a soft and chocolatey center, making them extra yummy! There’s absolutely nothing not to love about these salty, sweet peanut butter cookies. We just adore them!
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I guess I’m under the belief that you can never have too many cookie recipes. Sometimes it shocks me how many wonderful, delicious combinations there are to try. From decadent to healthier, and from classic to trendy, there are just so many types of cookies to be made. Just when you feel like you’ve baked up every combination, another one comes to mind.
I love a classic cookie, but I love also love testing new recipes. And you never know, you may just discover your new go-to cookie, as I did with these!
These are VERY SPECIAL. I’m still in awe of how delicious these are and the ingredients used to make them. As I said above, I really adore these cookies.
When it comes to baking I’ve said it before, sometimes you just need to go all out. Add the real sugar, use all the flour, and even top with candies. But for every day, I’m trying more and more to bake healthier – no refined sugar desserts.
All about that 80/20 thought process. 80% healthy/20% have fun.
To me these cookies are healthy (everyone has their own view of healthy), but they’re also fun. They’re a win/win type of cookie!
Onto the details
As I often do, we’re going to first brown the butter. Cookies made with browned butter are just better. I recommend using a high-quality organic butter with 80% butterfat. My favorite brands are Straus Organic European Style Butter and Vital Farms Butter (there’s a $1.00 off coupon on their site). Love them both.
Let the butter cook until it bubbles up and foams on top. This is when I turn the heat off and continue to allow the butter to cook in the pan. Little brown bits will form on the bottom of the pan. Those are the nutty little bits that will make your recipes extra delicious.
Mix it all together
Once the butter has browned, the rest goes pretty much as you would think. I don’t use a mixer for these, just a good old-fashioned spatula will do the trick. Mix the butter with the maple syrup, peanut butter, egg, and vanilla. Nothing fancy.
For the peanut butter, the secret is to use peanut butter with just peanuts and salt. Don’t use a no-stir peanut butter that contains oils and or sugar. You just want natural peanut butter. This will give you the best flavor and texture for your cookies!
After you’ve added your wet ingredients, then add the dry. Almond flour (you can also use all-purpose if you prefer), oats, baking soda, and a small pinch of salt.
Then mix in the chocolate chips, crushed pretzels, and peanuts (if you’d like them). The pretzels really add something special to each cookie. A bit of crunch and salt, which is such a delicious combination with chocolate and peanut butter.
Let the dough sit on the counter for 10-15 minutes to help stiffen it. The almond flour will soak up some of the moisture in the dough, making them easier to roll. Don’t skip this step. Then bake.
The results!
But my favorite part? These cookies are perfectly crisp on the edges, but soft and oh-so-chewy in the center. The best kind of cookie. And they’ll stay that way over time too! These don’t get hard once cooled, gotta love that!
Looking for other healthier dessert recipes? Here are my favorites:
5 Ingredient Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies
Healthier Homemade Nutter Butter Cookies
Healthy…ish Homemade Samoas Cookies
Tahini Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Salted Tahini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Lastly, if you make these Wholesome Peanut Butter Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Wholesome Peanut Butter Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 3/4-2 cups almond flour, (see note for alternative)
- 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips or chunks
- 1 cup mini salted pretzels, broken, use gluten-free if needed
- 1/3 cup salted peanuts, roughly chopped , (optional)
- flaky sea salt for sprinkling, (if desired)
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.2. Add the butter to a skillet set over medium heat. Cook until the butter begins to brown, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Let cool 5 minutes or so.3. To the browned butter, mix in the maple syrup, peanut butter, egg, and vanilla, mixing until smooth. Add the almond flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Gently fold in the chocolate, 2/3 cup of the pretzels, and the peanuts, if using. Let the dough sit 10-15 minutes. If the dough feels too sticky, add 1/4 cup almond flour. 4. Roll the dough into rounded tablespoon size balls and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Add the remaining pretzel pieces to the dough balls, then gently flatten the dough down. Bake 9 minutes, then rotate the pan. Bake another 2 minutes or until the cookies are just beginning to set on the edges. They may look pretty browned because of the almond flour. 5. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt. They will continue to cook slightly as they sit on the baking sheet. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
I made this over the weekend and they turned out perfectly! I’ve never baked with almond flour so I wasn’t sure what to expect when the dough seemed sort of wet. I added the additional 1/4 c of almond flour and I only baked them for the 9 minutes. They turned out soft and after a day in the container they’re still perfect. Not very sweet but a satisfying treat!
Thanks so much Jenni!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear the cookies were a hit! xT
The texture turned out great for me. I used gluten free pretzels though since I have a gluten allergy, and it seems like the heat dried them out and made them taste stale. May try a different brand of pretzels next time or leave them out. Disappointing because the rest of the cookie is so good!
Hi Jessica,
Thanks so much for making these cookies! So sorry to hear the pretzels tasted stale! Let me know if if give this another try without them:) xT
I agree with the gluten free pretzels. Mine also tasted stale. I wouldn’t recommend using a gluten free pretzel with the recipe. Overall, they were great
LOVE these cookies! My husband said they’re his new favorite recipe. Even better the next day. I used almond flour as recommended but subtracted 1/4c as others recommended. Came out perfect!
Hi Heidi,
Happy Sunday!!🍍🥥 Thank you so much for trying this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
Hi…sorry but should have read reviews….Very dry… I followed recipe but did not spread at all and will not recommend…😞
Hi Elena,
Thanks for making these cookies and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear they were not enjoyed! What kind of flour did you use? Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xx
As the others have said, I followed all the measurements ingredients and except I used 1/2 almond flour, 1/2 wheat flour combo. (maybe not a good idea?) The flavours are yummy but yeah, they did not spread out and are quite dry and crumbly. I knew they would not be very sweet and so I drizzled some melted semi sweet chocolate over the finished cookie. If I try again, I will cut back on the flour, either one, by at least 1/4 cup. Thank you though, I do love your recipes and videos, they are always inspiring!
Hi Cathy,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! Sorry to hear they were dry for you! I would try using just the almond flour next time, the whole wheat could have made them extra dry! Have a great weekend! xT
Can I use coconut flour??
Hi Tori,
So sorry, I have not tested this recipe with coconut flour so I am not sure what your exact results would be! I would probably stick with the almond flour or all purpose flour for best results:) Let me know if you give this recipe a try! xx
I wanted to like these a lot more then I did. I followed the recipe exactly (added the optional peanuts) and found the texture of the baked cookies to be pretty dry. The peanut butter flavor didn’t come through very much once baked.
The dough was fantastic before baking though! Love HBB recipes, this just wasn’t one of my favorites.
Hey Emily,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! So sorry to hear you found these to be dry. Did you by chance use the all purpose flour or almond flour? I’m wondering if these are making a difference for some! Let me know how I can help! xT
I was so excited to make these and wanted to like them so much. But they turned out dry, crumbly and barely sweet. I followed the recipe to a tee using almond flour and half semi sweet and dark chocolate chips. I also used natural peanut butter. Should I have used a peanut butter that has added sugar (like Skippy)? I’m baffled why I did not have the same success as others. ☹️
Hi Dana,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! These cookies are made with some more natural ingredients than your regular cookie, so you aren’t going to get the same sweetness and texture that you might be expecting. That could just be what you didn’t enjoy. Let me know if this helps! xx
Made these today and I agree with the comments. Won’t try these again I don’t think. Followed recipe exactly and got dry, crumbly, almost inedible cookie. Sorry T. This is a rare case of a flop for me.
So sorry to hear this Kacey, I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback! xx
Usually have no issue with your recipes but these came out wayyy too dry and crumbly with all purpose flour, would definitely recommend reducing flour and/or oats if not using almond flour!
Hi Savannah,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! Sorry to hear about the all purpose flour! Let me know if you give them a try with the almond flour! xT
Incredibly bizarre that three people commented almost the exact same nonsense complaint, word for word, leaving only three stars. Seems like one whiny heifer with three pseudonyms. 🙄 Try adjusting your technique.
I made these for the first time tonight. The flavor is quite good! I followed the recipe to a T and I find that the cookie is crumbly. I used the original amount of flour and I’m curious if there is something that would make these a bit more sturdy? Thanks!
Hey Leanne,
Thanks so much for making these cookies!! The texture of almond flour is going to naturally give this a more crumbly texture, if you want something a little more firm next time I would try using the all-purpose flour. I hope this helps! xx
The perfect combination of peanut buttery, crunchy pretzly, chocolatey goodness! And without the guilt! Initially, I thought the cookie came out a little too dry (and attributed it to my overdoing of the almond flour) BUT after sitting overnight in an airtight container, it was divine! Going on day 2 and the cookie is still so moist and chewy, but also still has a crunchy pretzel bite.
Hey Holly,
Fantastic!! Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xx
Just a note. If you plan to make these gluten free the old fashion oats need to be GF. Regular ones are not.
Thanks Andrea!!
I made these for my Girl Scout troop. I replaced the peanuts and half of the pretzels with crushed Do-Si-Do cookies as we had some leftover from cookie sales. Since the girls ‘bought’ the cookies, I wanted to use them in a snack for my troop. I think they turned out great! I’ll get the official review from the girls at our meeting in a bit, though 🙂
Hey Nicki,
Happy Monday!! ☀️⛅️ I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
These are the best gluten free cookies I have made! So much flavor and perfect texture! I got 35 cookies from the recipe!
Hey Debbie,
Happy Monday!! ☀️⛅️ I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
Every time I make one of your recipes I say – this is my favorite! Then I make another one, and then that’s my new favorite. This was my first time baking with almond flour and it really does give the cookie a better texture. And the addition of the sea salt on top is just perfect. Thank you for yet another awesome recipe!
Hey Jill,
Happy Sunday!! Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! xT