It’s the last week of school for me so that means it’s time to get back to the blog. There are a bunch of things I’ve been pushing back this month because they were less important than exams and dance. But now it’s time to turn my attention to those things.
I will say that I’ve fallen behind on my baking more than I have in like two years. This recipe is the last one I have ready to publish, but I tested two different ones this weekend and they were very successful so I think I can get those filmed and photographed pretty quickly.
I’ve actually had this post waiting in my drafts for about a month, I just had to find the time to edit it. As I said earlier, this weekend was for finishing up end of year assignments and tackling my most pressing tasks, and this post was one of them.
I guess it’s sort of a shame that I waited so long to publish this because I feel like it’s a really good end of school, spring/summer treat to bring to parties and what not. But better late than never I guess.
Describe These Cookies to Me
Taste: These cookies have a lot going on but it all mixes and works very well together. The dough itself has a toasty brown butter, graham cracker and oat base. This is a great foundation to go with sweet brown sugar and bittersweet chocolate, and the salty pretzels add the perfect contrast.
Texture: These have that perfect mix of chewy, crisp, and gooey. The outside has a little crisp to it and the inside is soft and a little chewy, dotted with pools of gooey chocolate and crunchy pretzels.
Ease: These are of medium difficulty. It’s a no chill and no mixer recipe, but it does create a fair amount of dishes. But I think it’s 100% worth it for the nuttiness of the brown butter and the warmer notes from toasting the graham crackers. And the overall time for these is pretty quick, so you could be enjoying these cookies in less than an hour.
The Dough
This dough starts off with a base of brown butter. I always use salted butter because I think it adds to the warmer elements in the flavor of these cookies. We also toast the graham crackers which helps to tie together the flavors of the brown butter and the oats. From here on its pretty standard, cinnamon and brown sugar, eggs, flour, and all the other basics.
The Mix Ins
We add in salty and crisp pretzels which compliment the savory notes in the brown butter, as well as the warmer notes of the brown sugar and cinnamon, and of course the chocolate. The bittersweet flavor of the chocolate adds a little bit of a contrast to the rest of the cookie, creating a perfect balance.
Chocolate Pretzel Graham Cracker Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- In a medium sized saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, keep cooking it while stirring frequently, and the butter will begin to sizzle and foam before it starts to brown. Once it has turned an amber brown color, remove from the heat and pour into a small bowl. Place the butter in the fridge to cool down while we make the rest of the dough.
- Add the graham cracker crumbs to the same saucepan and toast them over medium heat, stirring gently to ensure they don't burn. Toast until they are darkened, about 5 minutes, before transferring to a small bowl to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the slightly cooled brown butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and espresso powder. It won't fully combine yet, but that's ok! Whisk in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. The mixture should be smooth now. Add in the dry ingredients and toasted graham cracker crumbs and use a large spatula to fold together the dough. Finally, fold in the pretzel crumbs and dark chocolate. The dough will be a little greasy.
- Using a large cookie scoop, shape the dough into balls, somewhere between 1-2 Tablespoons in size. Place on the previously prepared baking sheet roughly 2 inches apart. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the cookies appear set in the center and browned lightly on the sides.
- Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes before enjoying warm. Cooled cookies stay fresh for up to 5 days sealed in an airtight container at room temperature.