These cookies are the perfect twist on a classic chocolate chip cookie! They are soft and chewy, buttery and delicious, and full of gooey dark chocolate chips and crunchy pretzels or pretzel chips! They’re super easy to make, and everyone loves them. This recipe makes 15 cookies, enough to share but not too many that you’re overwhelmed with cookies, not that it would be a bad thing!
First, you’re going to preheat the oven to 350F and start by beating together vegan butter and brown sugar. Use any vegan butter you like, but make sure it’s softened enough so it combines easily with the sugar when you beat with a hand mixer.
Brown sugar is essential to the taste and texture of these cookies! It contains more moisture than white sugar. Along with keeping the cookies from becoming dry, it also adds a rich and a little bit molassesy flavor to the cookies!
It’s important to make sure the vegan butter and brown sugar are beat long enough, to incorporate air into the mixture and to make sure there’s no small chunks of butter left.
Next, you add in the flax egg and vanilla extract to creamed vegan butter and brown sugar mixture. You may use vanilla paste instead of vanilla extract, both would contribute the same delicious vanilla flavor. The flax egg adds moisture and chewiness to these cookies!
Flax eggs are super easy to make and I use them in most of my recipes, so I’d suggest buying some ground flaxseed if you haven’t already! Flaxseed also has a ton of health benefits, so besides using it for baking, it’s excellent in oatmeal or smoothies!
Once the flax egg and vanilla extract are beat into the vegan butter mixture, you can set it aside while you whisk together the dry ingredients! Just whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt!
The baking soda helps the cookies rise and become super fluffy, instead of crunchy and dense. You’re welcome to reduce the amount of salt added here if you’re sensitive to salt, especially if you want to put extra sea salt on top! I love salt, and by no means were these cookies salty, but if you’re concerned because the pretzel chips also have salt, you can reduce the amount to 1/4 teaspoon.
Next, add your whisked dry ingredients into the vegan butter mixture! Continue to beat using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer until partially combined.
You want some remaining streaks of flour. Don’t worry, you won’t have any in your final dough, but because we still have to fold in the chocolate chips and crushed pretzel chips, we want to be sure not to over-mix the batter and leave us with dense cookies.
Last, but certainly not least, we have to fold in the chocolate chips and crushed pretzel chips! Use any kind of chocolate chips you would like here, I used 72% dark chocolate but if you prefer semisweet, go for it! The pretzel chips can be replaced with hard pretzels if you can’t find pretzel chips where you live!
Make sure the pretzel chips are in small enough pieces, because you don’t want them so large that you have troubles forming the dough! If they’re too big, your cookies may end up lopsided. Also, the smaller pieces end up more evenly distributed so you get some salty crunch in every bite!
Once your dough is folded and combined, scoop it onto a silicone or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 11 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool. Enjoy!
Chocolate-Pretzel Chip Cookies
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) vegan butter, softened
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup crushed pretzel chips
1. Preheat oven to 350F and line sheet pan with parchment or a silicone baking mat. Beat together the vegan butter and brown sugar until creamy.
2. Add in the flax egg and vanilla extract. Combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add into the vegan butter mixture.
3. Continue to beat into mostly combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and crushed pretzel chips. Scoop into prepared baking sheet and bake for 11 minutes. Remove onto a wire rack to cool, enjoy!
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