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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
Can you use rolled oats in place of old fashioned oats?
Hi Lisa! Yes, of course! I hope you love these cookies! xTieghan
Hi Lisa! Yes, rolled oats will be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Do you think raisins in the mix would be a good addition or just make it too many things?
Hi Jen! I am not a huge fan of raisins, so I would say too much. BUT I love when you guys try something your own, so maybe try it on a few cookies? Let me know if you do! xTieghan
These cookies were amazing! I have to admit, I accidentally bought cheddar pretzels. I decided to still give it a shot and put them on half of the cookies. I also only had sweetened coconut. Both batches turned out delicious!
Wow! That is not something I would expect to pair, but I am so glad it turned out amazing for you Krystal! Thank you so much! xTieghan
I made these and substituted Rice Krispies for the coconut, and added butterscotch chips to the chocolate chips and chunks. They’re great!
Thank you Tammy! xTieghan
Just want to make sure that the recipe calls for SALTED butter? Seems like a lot of salt. Also, can you replace either the brown sugar or granulated sugar with coconut sugar and use 1/4 less of the brown (or substitute)?
Hey Anna! Yes, I always bake with salted butter 🙂 For the sugars, I really can’t say how the outcome of the cookies will be if you swap these, but I think it could work just fine. Let me know how it goes!!
Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Great recipe! The pretzels made all the difference!
Thank you!! I am so glad you loved these cookies! xTieghan
I made these cookies and while they are delicious, they don’t have the appearance of the your gooey specimens in your pictures. This is how I might try it next time, in order to have a better appearance: Mix the batter as directed, leaving out the chocolate chunks, but adding 1 cup of pretzels that have been crushed into smaller pieces. Form into balls, press down, then press in chocolate chunks onto the tops of the cookies, and then one pretzel if it will fit. Bake as directed.
Thank you so much Todd! I hope these turn out better for you the next time! Please let me know if you have any questions! xTieghan
Made these last weekend! So good, I prefer not wacking the trays…. tried it both ways. 🙂
So glad you loved these Abby! Thank you! xTieghan
I made these with much excitement but sadly they didn’t turn out as they looked in your wonderful photos… They remained puffy and didn’t flatten or anything… They still tasted good though.. I’m just wondering why they didn’t work. Perhaps it’s because of the brown sugar? I live in Italy and brown sugar is impossible to find.. I’ve read that muscovado sugar is a good substitute but maybe not for this recipe… Or maybe the oats were the problem…
In any case they were yummy, and I’ll try again sometime!
Thanks!
HI Talula! I suspect it could be the sugar. Try using all granulated sugar next time. Hope this helps!! ! xTieghan
I made these with much excitement but sadly they didn’t turn out as they looked in your wonderful photos… They remained puffy and didn’t flatten or anything… They still tasted good though.. I’m just wondering why they didn’t work. Perhaps the kind of oats?
I will take a photo and post on Instagram and maybe you can suggest what I did wrong?
I will try again!!
Hey Talua! I am sorry you had trouble. Was there anything you did differently at all? Any ingredients different? Method of baking this? Any info will be helpful to help me problem solve and figure out what might be happening for you. It’s hard to know without knowing any details. Hope I can help you! xTieghan
These are great!
I had the same question as Cindy about why not to mix the pretzel pieces into the dough, but ended up following the recipe as written. The only change I made was to substitute Earth Balance Buttery Sticks for the butter.
If you can find pretzel wheels, they work great pressed into the tops of the dough balls and they come out looking so cute!
Aw that is so amazing to hear! Thank you so much for trying this! xTieghan
Absolutely loved these! Next time I make them I want to attempt a version with less sugar as the only negative feedback I received was that they were too sweet. Do you have any guidance on the best way to reduce the amount of sugar? Should I increase something else in its place?
Hi! I would just try using 1/4 cup less sugar and see how that goes. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I am glad you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
I made these yesterday for a treat while watching the super bowl. They were so delicious! The entire batch was devoured in an hour! For some reason, my pretzels didn’t stay very crunchy, but it didn’t matter. They still added salty goodness to the cookie. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Wow that is so amazing to hear! Thank you so much for trying these Tracy! xTieghan
Made these for our Super Bowl party! Sooo good and so simple too!
Thank you so much Marcy! xTieghan
I made these yesterday! I don’t have an electric mixer and they were still pretty easy! I didn’t do the coconut but still SO yummy!
Thank you so much Samatha!! xTieghan