Irresistible Sea Salt Butterscotch Pretzel Cookies: The Ultimate Sweet & Salty Treat

Get ready to discover your new favorite cookie! These Sea Salt Butterscotch Pretzel Cookies are a phenomenal blend of sweet and salty flavors, offering an unforgettable crunch in every bite. Loaded with creamy butterscotch chips, savory pretzels, a decadent chocolate drizzle, and a hint of flaky sea salt, these cookies aren’t just a treat – they’re an experience. Perfect for satisfying those unique cravings or impressing at any gathering, they truly stand out from the crowd.

You are absolutely going to adore these Sea Salt Butterscotch Pretzel Cookies. Their delightful combination of textures and flavors makes them an ideal choice when you’re looking for something beyond the ordinary. Beyond their incredible taste, they boast a visually appealing, rustic charm that makes them a fantastic conversation starter at cookie exchanges, holiday parties, or simply as a special homemade treat for your loved ones. The ease of preparation ensures they’ll quickly become a cherished recipe in your baking repertoire.

The Perfect Balance: Sweet, Salty, and Crunchy

These cookies offer a unique and wonderful symphony of tastes. Starting with a rich, buttery cookie dough base, we elevate it with a generous amount of sweet butterscotch chips and finely chopped pretzels. This creates a fascinating interplay of chewy, soft, and crunchy textures. The final flourish of flaky sea salt on top not only enhances the sweet elements but also provides that signature salty counterpoint, while a delicate chocolate drizzle adds an extra layer of indulgence, making each cookie truly irresistible.

Essential Ingredients for Your Sea Salt Butterscotch Pretzel Cookies

Crafting the perfect batch of these sweet and salty delights begins with selecting quality ingredients. Each component plays a vital role in achieving that sought-after flavor and texture profile.

Unsalted Butter (Room Temperature): For this recipe, you’ll need 1 cup (or two sticks) of unsalted butter, softened to room temperature. Using unsalted butter allows you to control the overall saltiness of the cookie, ensuring it’s perfectly balanced with the added pretzels and sea salt. Room temperature butter creams beautifully with sugar, resulting in a light and airy dough foundation.

Sugars (Brown & White): A blend of 1 cup of brown sugar and ½ cup of white granulated sugar is used. Brown sugar contributes moisture, chewiness, and a subtle molasses flavor that complements the butterscotch wonderfully. White sugar provides crispness and ensures the cookies spread just right. If you prefer an even softer, chewier cookie, you can adjust these amounts slightly (see notes in the recipe card).

Vanilla Extract: Two teaspoons of good quality vanilla extract are crucial for enhancing the overall flavor of the cookie dough. Vanilla provides a warm, aromatic base that ties all the other ingredients together. Don’t skimp on quality here; a pure vanilla extract makes a noticeable difference.

Eggs: You’ll need two large whole eggs, plus the yolk of an additional egg. The eggs act as a binder, adding richness, moisture, and helping the cookies achieve their structure. The extra egg yolk contributes to a chewier texture and a richer flavor, making the cookies more decadent.

All-Purpose Flour: Approximately 2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour provides the necessary structure for these cookies. It’s essential not to overmix the flour into the wet ingredients to prevent developing too much gluten, which can lead to tough cookies. For a softer cookie, you might consider slightly reducing the flour amount as noted in the recipe card.

Salt: Beyond the flaky sea salt topping, ½ teaspoon of fine salt is incorporated into the dough. Salt is a powerful flavor enhancer that balances the sweetness and brings out the best in all the other ingredients. This small amount ensures the cookie dough itself is perfectly seasoned before the salty pretzels and sea salt are added.

Leavening Agents (Baking Powder & Baking Soda): A combination of 1 teaspoon of baking powder and ¼ teaspoon of baking soda gives these cookies their perfect lift and tender crumb. Baking powder reacts when wet and with heat, while baking soda reacts with the acidic brown sugar, ensuring an even rise and a delightful puffiness.

Chocolate & Butterscotch Chips: These are the co-stars of our cookie show! You’ll need 1 ¼ cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 ¼ cups of butterscotch chips. This generous amount ensures every bite is bursting with sweet, caramel-like butterscotch and rich chocolate. Feel free to experiment with different types of chocolate, like milk chocolate or dark chocolate, based on your preference.

Chopped Pretzels: One cup of roughly chopped pretzels is folded into the dough, providing that crucial salty crunch. You’ll also want to reserve extra chopped or whole mini pretzels for an optional decorative topping, adding visual appeal and an extra layer of texture.

Flaky Sea Salt: This is not just any salt! Flaky sea salt, easily found in most grocery stores or online, is sprinkled on top of the cookies before baking. Unlike table salt, its larger crystal structure provides bursts of clean, briny flavor without being overpowering. It also adds a beautiful, sophisticated finish, resembling delicate snowflakes. Do not substitute with regular table salt, as the effect and taste will be significantly different.

Baking Guide: How to Make Butterscotch Pretzel Cookies

Follow these simple steps to create your batch of irresistible Sea Salt Butterscotch Pretzel Cookies:

1. Preheat Oven & Prepare Baking Sheets: Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them lightly with a nonstick cooking spray. Set them aside, ready for the dough.
2. Cream Butter & Sugars: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the softened butter with both the brown sugar and white sugar. Beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale in color. This creaming process incorporates air, which is vital for a tender cookie texture.
3. Add Vanilla: With the mixer still running on low, pour in the vanilla extract and mix until fully combined, ensuring the fragrant vanilla is evenly distributed.
4. Incorporate Eggs: Add the two whole eggs and the extra egg yolk one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Continue to beat until the mixture is smooth and emulsified.
5. Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ½ teaspoon of salt, baking powder, and baking soda with a fork until they are thoroughly combined. This step ensures the leavening agents and salt are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
6. Gradually Add Dry to Wet: With the stand mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry flour mixture to the wet butter mixture. Mix just until the flour is incorporated and no dry streaks remain. Be careful not to overmix, as this can develop gluten and lead to tough cookies.
7. Fold in Chips & Pretzels: Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Using a large spoon or a sturdy spatula, gently fold in the butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, and chopped pretzel pieces. Folding rather than mixing with the stand mixer helps prevent the pretzels from breaking down too much, preserving their crunch.
8. Scoop & Shape: Using an ice cream scooper (about 2 tablespoons per cookie), scoop balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie for spreading. Slightly dampen your fingertips, then gently press each dough ball down and out into a disk shape.
9. Add Toppings: Sprinkle a generous pinch of flaky sea salt over the top of each flattened cookie. Gently press a whole mini pretzel (or additional chopped pretzels) onto the top of each cookie if desired, pressing it lightly into the dough to secure it.
10. Bake to Golden Perfection: Bake in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are beautifully golden brown and the centers are just set. Baking times can vary depending on your oven, so keep an eye on them.
11. Cool & Drizzle: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. While they cool, prepare your chocolate drizzle: place ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or any chocolate of your choice) in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring well after each, until smooth and melted. Use a spoon to drizzle the melted chocolate over the cooled cookies.
12. Serve & Enjoy: Once the chocolate drizzle has set (or if you can’t wait!), serve these delightful cookies with a tall glass of cold milk or your favorite hot beverage. Enjoy every sweet, salty, crunchy, and chewy bite!

Expert Tips for Perfect Sea Salt Butterscotch Pretzel Cookies

What kind of pretzels should I use?

While you can certainly use any pretzels you have on hand, we highly recommend sticking to thinner, snack-sized pretzels. These include small pretzel sticks or the classic mini-twisted pretzels. Their thinner profile makes them much easier to chop into manageable pieces that integrate well into the cookie dough and are pleasant to eat. Thicker pretzel rods, while tasty, can be too dense and difficult to bite through in a cookie. For an extra fun and decorative touch, you can even leave some rounded mini pretzels whole and gently press them into the top of each cookie before baking.

How long do these cookies stay fresh?

For optimal freshness, store your Sea Salt Butterscotch Pretzel Cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. When stored correctly, they will remain delicious for up to one week. To extend their shelf life significantly, these cookies freeze beautifully. Place them in an airtight freezer-safe container or bag, and they can be stored for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before enjoying.

What’s the difference between butterscotch and caramel?

Butterscotch and caramel are indeed quite similar in flavor profile, but their primary distinction lies in the type of sugar used as their base. Caramel is typically made using white granulated sugar, which is cooked until it melts and caramelizes, developing a deep, nutty flavor. Butterscotch, on the other hand, is made with brown sugar, which inherently contains molasses. This gives butterscotch a richer, slightly more complex flavor with notes of toffee. While they can often be used interchangeably in recipes (and doing so can create interesting variations!), be aware that the flavor nuances will shift. So, if you can’t find butterscotch chips, or simply want to try something new, substituting caramel bits can certainly lead to a delicious and intriguing cookie as well!

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These Sea Salt Butterscotch Pretzel Cookies truly offer the best of both worlds – a harmonious blend of sweet butterscotch, rich chocolate, and the satisfying crunch and saltiness of pretzels. They are more than just a cookie; they are a delightful culinary adventure that promises to become a cherished recipe in your home. Get baking and prepare to fall in love with these perfectly balanced, loaded cookies!