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The very BEST Salted Pretzel Cowboy Party Cookies for your winter weekend baking. Homemade chocolate chip cookies, made with oats, shredded coconut, plenty of chocolate chunks, pretzels pieces, and a small pinch of flaky sea salt. Each cookie dough ball is hand stuffed with salty pretzel pieces before baking them to perfection. There’s nothing not to love about these sweet chocolate (crunch) cookies. Each bite is slightly crisp on the edges but soft and gooey in the center…with just a little pretzel crunch.
The last day of January just feels like it deserves a good cookie…I mean, it’s been a long month. On one hand, it feels like this month flew by, but on the other, it feels like it’s been the longest month. We shared a lot of new recipes, with almost all of them geared towards a Healthy January. Today is the exception (well, maybe yesterday too). But I just had to share these cookies because they’re insanely good and so perfect for this weekend! We truly do loooove them, but I can’t really say there’s anything that “healthy” about them. While…there’s oats…and unsweetened coconut?
But they also have butter, some sugar (not a ton), and plenty of semi-sweet chocolate too.
Please do hear me out. I tried, and tried, and tried again to create a delicious, soft, moist, and healthy cookie. But I just could not get them right. There were batches of peanut butter cookies, banana cookies, oat cookies, vegan cookies, butterless cookies. Pretty much every kind of cookie. But none of them were good enough. If you follow on Instagram you may have seen my many failed attempts.
Feeling pretty defeated, I caved in and made these cookies. And I got them right the very FIRST batch. I was immediately sold. Then I gave them to my mom to try. She said she was beyond sold and couldn’t stop eating them. We both agreed that the recipe needed to be shared, preferably before Super Bowl Sunday. So yes, technically it is still January, but sometimes you just need a really good, buttery, sweet, heavy on the chocolate cookie.
Trust me, you do. And I am here to share it with you all.
PS. I haven’t given up on my “healthy” cookie testing, just taking a break.
the back story…
What inspired these cowboy cookies? While I saw a recipe on Pinterest for cowboy cookies. They had oats, coconut, and pecans stirred into a classic chocolate chip cookie. They sounded very interesting, but it also felt like there was something missing from the cookie. Like, if you’re going to add so many “stir-ins” to your basic chocolate chip cookie, at least one of them should be a little more exciting.
For a second I couldn’t figure out what the cookie was missing, but then it hit me, a loaded cookie needs a “salty” component and maybe even a little crunch.
P.R.E.T.Z.E.L.S.
I thought back to these chocolate chip cookie stuffed soft pretzels I made last year. And then these snickerdoodles I made back in December. And I knew that a little salt and a little crunch from a pretzel would make a cowboy-style cookie even better. I tested it and the verdict came in quick. These are indeed the best…MOM says so! And she does not mess around when it comes to chocolate chip cookies.
To make these salted pretzel cowboy party cookies…
One, gather your ingredients. You’ll need the basics, butter, sugar, flour, etc. Simple, nothing fancy, but all good.
Two, the stir-ins are the most important part. You’ll need old fashioned oats, shredded coconut, salted pretzel twists, and semi-sweet or milk chocolate chunks.
Three, beat, mix, stir, bake, wack that pan on the counter, bake again, wack again, eat warm…ENJOY!
Yes, there’s not one complicated thing about this recipe. These are EASY cookies.
A few keys for success…
…smashed pretzels on the outside, only just a few for the slightest salty, crunch with every sweet bite.
…flatten the cookies dough balls a bit before baking. You must do this to help your cookies bake evenly and spread.
…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 chocolate chip 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. I learned this tip from the New York Times and you need it too.
…a little pinch of flaky sea salt, which isn’t a must, but it sure is delicious.
What I love about these cookies is that they’re so easy to make. They require no chilling and truly take just thirty minutes from start to finish. I almost always have these ingredients on hand. And when it’s Friday night and the urge for a delicious yet simple chocolatey cookie comes on? These cookies will be my new go-to.
They’re just perfectly crisp on the edges, but soft and gooey in the center, with a nice crunch and a little saltiness from the pretzels on top. The best kind of cookie.
Bake these tonight, or sometime this weekend for the Super Bowl…and then every other day you’re craving something sweet and easy!
If you make these salted pretzel cowboy party cookies, 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 Pretzel Cowboy Party Cookies.
Servings: 32 cookies
Calories Per Serving: 207 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
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 1/2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2-1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks
- 1 cup mini pretzel twists, crushed
- flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the 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, cinnamon (if using), baking soda, and salt. Fold in the oats, coconut, chocolate chips, and chocolate chunks.3. Roll the dough into rounded 2 tablespoon size balls. Place 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Gently push a few crushed pretzel pieces into each dough ball (see above photo), then flatten the dough ball down with the palm of your hand to 1/2 inch thickness.4. Transfer to the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and tap the baking sheet on the counter 3 times to flatten them down. Return to the oven and bake another 4 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 2-3 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. 5. Eat warm (highly recommended) or let cool and store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Notes
Freezing: the cookie dough balls can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw, then bake as directed.
This post was originally published on January 31, 2020
My first time for ‘pan banging’ and these cookies worked really well! I ADORE this blog and i look forward to each days recipes so much!!! Thank you.
Aw that is so amazing! Thank you so much Maria! xTieghan
You think omitting the coconut would ruin it? I love it but the group as a whole may not…
Hi Lashlee! You can use 1 cup of additional oats in place of the coconut. I think that will be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Just curious how you think they would do without the coconut. I despise it, otherwise they look fabulous!!!!
Hey Jenny! You can use 1 cup of additional oats in place of the coconut. I think that will be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Hi! I’m baking these right now and already know I’m going to love them! Can you save the excess dough if you don’t bake all of it? If so, would you keep it in the fridge?
Hi! Yes, you can can save the dough for up to 3 days in the fridge. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Hi!!! Your recipes are a fav at our household! Quick question…did you use a cookie scoop for this cookie? If so, what size did you use? Thank you!
Hi Melanie!! I used 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie, using a 1 tbs cookie scoop and doubled up on my scoops. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
These look AMAZING! Do you think you could substitute the eggs out?
P.S I love your site!
Hi Amaal! I have never tested this recipe minus the eggs. The eggs bind everything together and keep the cookies from falling apart. If you can, I would recommend using the eggs. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
I have someone that is allergic to coconut….what can I use instead? Can I just double the amount of oats?
Hi Melissa! I would recommend adding 1 addition cup of oats. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Love the recipe this could also be called “The Game-Day Cookie”.
Perfect for the big game.
Yes so perfect for it! I hope you try these Austin! xTieghan
I have been pan banging cookies for as long as I can remember.I don’t gently top, I bang the pan for maximum deflate.
I can’t remember where I heard that tip but it really works, especially if you also rotate the cookie sheet midway through the baking. The “bake one sheet at a time and rotate that sheet midway” was a Martha Stuart tip for one of her magazines many years ago. She also advocates cookie sheets with no sides.Her reasoning is related to heat circulating evenly over the whole cookie, unencumbered buy the sides of a pan. I have used both…pans with sides and pans without…and have not really noticed a huge difference but can’t give up the sideless ones.
Haha that is so amazing to hear! Thank you for sharing Nancy! xTieghan
I have shredded sweetened coconut I’m trying to use up. If I made these do you think I should reduce the sugar? Or do you think it will it just sweeten the cookie a little bit more but be fine?
Hi Katie! I would just leave the sugars as is. I think the sweetened coconut will only add a touch more sweetness…which will be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Do you need to adjust anything if you leave the coconut out?
Hi Riki! I would recommend adding 1 addition cup of oats. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Would you make any adjustments to the recipe if you need to leave out the coconut chips?
Hi Riki! I would recommend adding 1 addition cup of oats. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Whoa!! The idea of pretzels in cookies is such a great concept and these cookies look absolutely fabulous. It makes me so hungry just looking at your photos. So lovely. Thanks for sharing.
Haha yes! Happy the photos do that! I hope you try this Linger! Thank you! xTieghan
These look delicious! I love the tip you gave about tapping on the pan. I never knew this. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much Bobbi Jo! xTieghan
these would go down very well
Thank you so much Ruth! I hope you try these! xTieghan