So we are basically a week into the holiday season and all I want to do is bake all day and eat cookies. Even more so than usual. The good news is that in one week I’ll be on a much needed vacation from work that will allow me to focus most of my energy on just that.
The bad news? Well, there isn’t much. I just have to find a home for all these cookies because at my current rate of consumption I’ll need an entirely new wardrobe a couple sizes bigger come January 1’st. Not in the budget and not quite so desirable.
So other than eating cookies 24/7 and exercising as much as I can to support that habit, I’ll be finding homes for these baked goods. Some will go towards the multitude of cookie swaps* I’m signed up for. Others will go to friends. These cookies, one of my favorites that I’ve had in a while, will show up on the doorstep of a few of my favorite people in the very near future. I hope each of them has their sweet and salty tooth ready!
These peanut butter cookies are chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside but the best part about them is that each bite also comes with the perfect amount of pretzel and chocolate. You can make this huge batch to share with friends or easily cut it in half for your own stash, because who doesn’t need 3 dozen delicious cookies on hand?
*I’m pretty sure that eating cookies I receive in a cookie swap doesn’t count
[print_this]
Chocolate Chip and Pretzel Loaded Peanut Butter Cookies
Yield: Makes 6 dozen cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 3 cups salted creamy natural peanut butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips
- 2 cups salted pretzel pieces
Cooking Directions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda, set aside
- Using a mixer, in a large bowl beat peanut butter and sugars on high until light and fluffy
- Beat in the eggs and vanilla until combined
- Reduce speed to low and stir in flour mixture just until combined
- Stir in chocolate chips and pretzel pieces
- Use a cookie dough scoop or tablespoon to place cookie dough balls (about 2 tablespoons each) on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (Note: the dough will be a little greasy, that is OK)
- Bake for 11-13 minutes until or cookies are brown around the edges
Adapted from my Chocolate Chip Blueberry Peanut Butter Cookies [/print_this]
Are you taking any time off around the holidays? If so, what will you be doing?
Oh man! I’ve never had a pretzel cookie, sounds intriguing. Chocolate chip loaded peanut butter cookies sure sound like a winner :)
The goal right now to get to the gym is purely for the purpose of eating Christmas cookies. I have the baking itch too! So jealous that you have vacation for a baking spree. Enjoy every second! I have a giveaway going on right now that you might want to check out….cookies are involved!
Wow these cookies look amazing! Love the entire combo. Yum!
I am obsessed with putting pretzel pieces in cookies. It’s the ultimate combo of salty & sweet. These look fab!
I’m going on a cruise. I wish you were coming with! These look delicious! I hope I’m a special someone that gets these on my doorstep! hint hint ;) If you want, you can freeze all your cookies and bring them down in January!
I love the combination of sweet and salty. Hey if you need to offload some just send them over to NJ, we’ll take care of them for you ;)
We’re doing just one cookie swap – I don’t think I couldn’t handle more than that right now. Not in terms of baking – rather, I wouldn’t share any of the ones I received! ^_~
Oh man, I would happily eat a dozen or three of these cookies! Chocolate and pretzels make a pretty awesome combo. :)
Ive seen the sweet ‘n salty cookie thing done quite a bit recently in the sphere and on pinterest and now I really HAVE to make them b/c yours look sooo delish!
These cookies look amazing! I love salty/sweet treats!
Time off for baking sounds perfect just about now! I am not off until the weekend of Christmas so I guess I will be squeezing in my baking in the evening. And cookies you receive from swaps definitely don’t count:)
These sounds really good, I have never tried pretzel cookies…
But these make me drool…. Need to try soon.
I love the idea of little chunks of pretzel in a cookie, just delicious!
Maybe we’ll just have to go shopping for a new wardrobe together? Or find excuses, while you’re on vacation, to walk seven miles every day in memory of our fateful Sunday in SF?
Hmm. All I know is…I need these sweet and salty babies in my life.
Over the summer I fell in love with the sweet/salty combo in baked goods. I’ve tried to push aside my newly developed craving for it and I was doing well, until…………..
Love this combo!
Yum yum YUM!
I didn’t get a chance to eat breakfast this am and now all I want are these!! YUM! Putting on my “to bake” list
I have been making so many cookies too! All those cookie swaps. But it’s totally worth it for cookies like these.
I love the sweet and salty mix.
Enjoy your vacation!
These look very good. I love the combination of sweet and salty.
Have a good vacation!
Ohh I absolutely LOVE this recipe!!! Chocolate and pretzels are my favorite combination! :) If you haven’t already, feel free to stop by my blog and check out the $50 Williams-Sonoma gift card giveaway going on right now! xoxo
Hmm hello heaven :) This is my kinda cookie for sure!
all my favorites in one cookie? must.make.now! yummmm :) have a great weekend lauren!
I just made a sweet and salty bar also. so tasty..but I really want these cookies!
Ah these look so good! I too am slightly concerned about my pants size over the coming month…
Wow these look so good! Love the combo! And I’m on the same page, the cookie consumption has gone WAY up, I need some self control! :)
Yum! I have the urge to bake like crazy lately. My list of things I want to try is ever growing!! This point in the year I am happy if I can exercise enough to eat a few of the cookies I bake :)
I agree; calories in a cookie swap don’t count. Um, you didn’t make them and they magically appeared…magic calories! These cookies look AMAZING!
I love making and mailing cookies this time of year and these look fantastic!
I love sweet and salty cookies and I love how thick these are!! I’ll take a dozen!
Holy yum!! MUST make these soon!
Those sound awesome…I love the saltiness with the sweet…I just do a couple extra miles on the treadmill on the days I go on a cookie binge.
Great combo! If I had your cookie making skills, I’d proly just stay at home and bake/eat cookies too :) I’m a little envious of your life right now!
Buzzed
pretzels, chocolate and peanut butter are a match made in heaven! These look delicious!!
I love to bring my cookies in to work. My coworkers think I’m being nice to them when I’m really being nice to my waistline! :) Great cookies too, love the salty sweetness!
Wow, these look incredible!!! Yum, yum!!!
LOVE the pretzels in these cookies :)
Salty sweet! Salty Sweet! Yipee! I love these kinda cookies.
These tasted just as good, if not better, than I thought they would!