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The BEST Salted Caramel Pretzel Snickerdoodles for your holiday cookie baking. Homemade snickerdoodle cookies, made with browned butter, plenty of chocolate-covered caramel chunks, pretzels pieces, and a small pinch of flaky sea salt. Each cookie dough ball is rolled through cinnamon sugar for that classic snickerdoodle finish before baking to perfection. There’s nothing not to love about these sweet Christmas cookies. Each bite is slightly crisp on the edges but soft and gooey in the center…with just a little pretzelly crunch.
The minute Thanksgiving was over, I received message after message about holiday dinner menus, entertaining ideas, and most of all…Christmas cookies! I couldn’t believe the number of messages from those of you inquiring about holiday cookies. Questions like, “when will you be sharing your 2019 Christmas Cookie Box?” “What’s your favorite Christmas cookie?” “What’s the best cookie to gift?” “What are the best boxes to use?” …and so many more.
I have to say, I’m pretty happy you all are so excited to bake this season because I am too! So much so that I’m stressing about the fact that I really do not have enough days leading up to Christmas to share everything. It’s a good problem to have, but I have SO much I want to share with you. Fingers crossed I can get you all everything you need by the 24th.
So, I’m officially kicking the holiday baking season off with these snickerdoodles. These are decadent in all the best ways. And yes, you do need to make them this December, preferably several times!
My snickerdoodle story.
I didn’t grow up eating snickerdoodles, but instead grew up eating mom’s chocolate chip cookies. Even at Christmas time, she’d opt for chocolate chip cookies over anything holiday-themed. I didn’t know other cookies existed. But then I grew up, and I made snickerdoodles, and wow, they are so GOOD.
But here’s the thing. I love a crisp on the edges, doughy in the center, chocolate chip cookie more. So much more.
Which brings me to this cookie. It’s a snickerdoodle on the outside, but a chocolate chip cookie on the inside. And it’s all done up with extra special touches like pretzel crumbs and chocolate-covered caramels.
Delicious!
To make the best snickerdoodles…
One, brown half of your butter, but leave the other half at room temp. This gives you the flavor of browned butter but leaves you with a cookie that has great texture too. Shocker, I know, I added brown butter. But the browned butter really does add so much to cookies. It’s worth the extra step.
Two, tap that baking sheet on your counter midway through baking, then finish cooking. When the cookies have completely finished baking, remove them from the oven, and tap the baking sheet once more. You guys, this step is KEY. It will ensure you have the least cakey snickerdoodle cookie. Instead you’ll get a cookie with crisp edges and a gooey center. Tapping the baking pan on the counter deflates the center of the cookie, pushing the edges out. I used this same method for my pumpkin cookies and I now do it whenever I bake any cookies…because it works.
It’s a method I learned from the New York Times and you need to do it too.
The “special” Christmas touches.
…chocolate-covered caramel chunks, you can use regular chunk chunks of course, but these are better. I use Dove milk chocolate caramels.
…cinnamon sugar, roll the dough balls through the mix to your liking.
…smashed pretzels on the outside, only just a few for the slightest salty, crunch with every sweet bite.
…a little pinch of flaky sea salt, simply because it makes everything better.
What I love about these cookies is that they’re easy to make, require no chilling, and take less than an hour…simple.
But my favorite part? These are just perfectly crisp on the edges, but soft and gooey in the center. The best kind of cookie. I’m not normally such a decadent cookie person, but as I always say, I like to really do it up for the holidays. They only come once a year, so let’s just have fun and enjoy every minute of the season. It’s cheesy, but they do only come once a year!
Let’s bake cookies on a Tuesday night and enjoy them while watching your favorite holiday movie. Then take the leftovers to work and make everyone’s day. You should do this.
‘Tis the season for giving after all!
PS. if you’re looking for a snowman version try these cute little eggnog frosted chai snickerdoodle snowmen!
If you make these salted caramel pretzel snickerdoodles, 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!
Salted Caramel Pretzel Snickerdoodles
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories Per Serving: 217 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups chopped chocolate covered caramels or chocolate chunks
- 1/3 cup cinnamon sugar
- 1 cup mini pretzel twists crushed
- flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- 1. Add 1 stick butter to a small saucepan 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. Stick in the freezer to chill, 10-15 minutes, but no longer.2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.3. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the remaining 1 stick butter, the cooled browned butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until combined. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, until combined. Add the vanilla, beating until creamy. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Fold in the chocolate caramels.4. Roll the dough into rounded 1 tablespoon size balls and then roll through the cinnamon sugar. Place 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Gently push a few crushed pretzel pieces into each dough ball (see above photo). 5. Transfer to the oven and bake for 7 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and tap the baking sheet on the counter 2 times to flatten them down. Return to the oven and bake another 1-3 minutes or until the cookies are just beginning to set on the edges, but still doughy in the center. Remove from the oven and tap the baking sheet on the counter 1-2 times to flatten them down again. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet. They will continue to cook slightly as they sit on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with flaky salt. Eat warm (highly recommended) or let cool and store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.Â
Notes
Cinnamon Sugar:Â mix 1/3 cup sugar with 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon. Store in an airtight container.
Caramels: I use Dove milk chocolate caramels.Â
Freezing: the cookie dough balls can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw, then bake as directed.Â
The salted caramel pretzel snickerdoodles were amazing. The recipe was easy and so fun to make. The tips were super helpful. Don’t forget to tap the cookie sheet on the counter! The cookies were a big hit with my family. Everyone raved about how delicious they were. This may be my new go to Christmas cookie!
Hey Alison,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad you enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Are you spooning the flour, or packing the flour?
They TASTE delicious. I just haven’t gotten the consistency down correctly yet. (Made them 2x now.)
Hey Amber,
I usually scoop my flour. Are you allowing the browned butter to chill enough? Let me know if this helps! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I have made these twice since Thanksgiving and both times the dough needed to be refrigerated before I was able to roll into balls. I left the browned butter in the freezer for 10 minutes. Should I wait longer to add next time or should I increase the flour by 1/4 cup?
These are a new family favorite!
Hey Kari,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! I would allow the butter to sit in the freezer a little longer next time. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
These were DELICIOUS! I have a gluten allergy, so I just substituted gluten free flour and pretzels – they are just as delicious! (As so my regular flour eating family members said!). Super easy and a fun different cookie to add to the recipe box!
Hey Melissa,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Unfortunately I had a lot of issues with these cookies. After they didn’t turn out great I read the comments and I think my problem was the browned butter. The recipe said NO longer than 15 minutes and I was diligent to pull it out at 15 minutes. The browned butter was still liquid, but the recipe just said 15 minutes. Now reading the comments it sounds like it should have been hardened. The cookies were quite flat and texture was off. Flavor was still good though. I overcooked a few batches and that helped a little bit but still disappointed.
Hey Mallory,
So sorry you had issues with the cookies, usually 15 minutes is good enough for me, but next time I would leave the brown butter in longer until it is soft and no longer liquid. I hope this helps! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Do you think the nestle sea salt caramel truffles would work well with this recipe?
Hey Kim,
I think those would be great! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan! I’m wondering if I can make this dough a day or two before I bake them and keep the dough in the refrigerator?! Thanks!
Hey Carolanne,
Yes, that would work well for you. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
The cookies came out DECADENT. It would be helpful if you mentioned chopping the chocolates before folding them in. We were stroking our Santa beards for a long time. Additionally, browning the butter is a power move. Thanks for another great recipe!
Hey Emma,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad you enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Quote – My husband: ‘these are outrageous!’
Hey Marian,
LOL I am so glad these were enjoyed! Thanks for trying the recipe. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
LOVED THIS RECIPE. These cookies did not last long at my house but they stayed so moist for at least two days after baking.
I had trouble with the halved caramels in the dough while baking though. The cookies that happened to have a chunk of caramel at the edge/bottom of the dough ball, seeped out and the caramel burned on the baking sheet. Next time I’ll probably tuck the caramel pieces in the top of the dough ball to make sure the caramel remains in the dough as they bake and flatten somewhat.
Hey Katie,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad you enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
The flavors are really nice, but my cookies came out breadlike. I’m not sure what went wrong. Possibly the browned butter was too runny and needed more time in the freezer. It’s also possible that I need to reduce the flour to adjust for low altitude.
Hey there,
Thanks so trying the recipe, I’m sorry you had issues! Let me know if I can help! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Can I make these without the Carmel? I only have milk chocolate chips, but these sound amazing!
Hey Sara,
Yes, totally fine to omit the caramel. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Hello! I am looking forward to trying out this recipe. I could not find choc covered caramels, so I bought semi sweet choc chips and caramel chunks and plan to use both. is there a recommended amount to use of each? Perhaps 3/4 C of each?
Hey Rachel,
I think that would work well! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Hello! Do you cut up the chocolate caramel dove candy? Or do you use them whole?
Hey Courtney,
I like to chop my caramels. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Mine turned out delicious but looked quite a bit darker than in the photos. I wonder if the cookies in the photographs used light brown sugar rather than dark? A few things that went different for me: (1) I refrigerated my dove chocolates for about an hour before I started baking so they were less messy to cut. (2) Even with room temperature butter, it took far longer than 3-4 minutes to brown. It probably took that long for the stick itself to melt, then another 5-7 minutes before it was browned. (3) Also, the dough was quite wet when I finished mixing. I stuck in the freezer for about 5 minutes and then it was much easier to work with. One last note: Make sure you scroll all the way to the bottom of the recipe to see the measurements for the cinnamon sugar! I think it would make a lot more sense to put those measurements in parenthesis next to the “1/3 cup cinnamon sugar” measurement.
Hey Claire,
Thanks so much for giving the cookies a try, I am glad they worked out for you. Happy Holidays! xTieghan