I like my salty with my sweet. How about you?

Turtles? Dig ’em! Potato chips paired with chocolate? I’m game. Sea salt laced caramel? Oh yeah! Pretzles with my chocolate chip cookies? Ding, ding, ding!

There’s something about that sweet and salty combo that drives the taste receptors crazy. It’s like the brain doesn’t know how to act. Is it sweet? Is it salty? One bite, and you’re wanting more.

These chocolate chip cookie cups with a pretzel crust are the perfect combination of sweet and salty. The cookie cup is a soft baked, gooey chocolate chip cookie nestled on top a buttery pretzle crust. And, if that weren’t enough, each cup gets a sprinkle of crushed pretzel pieces to boost that signature salty flavor that everyone loves with their chocolate.

One bite, and you’ll be wanting more. They’re like potato chips–one just won’t cut it.

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I made the pretzel crust right in my food processor. I used pretzel snaps, but you can also use pretzel thins. Add  the snaps (or thins) and some brown sugar to the bowl of your food processor and buzz until the mixture resembles a coarse crumb.

Exhibit A:
IMG_1616

Next, drizzle in some melted butter until the mixture looks like wet sand and sticks together slightly when pressed between your fingers.

Viola, pretzel crust is born. Easy, right?

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The cookie is perfectly baked with a gooey center and a crispy exterior. The chocolate and salty pretzels pair perfectly together.

Sweet chocolate. Salty pretzels. Gooey cookie. Does it get any better?

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These will be your new obsession. You’ll start craving them for breakfast. Yup, I ate them for breakfast–no will power.

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The Bite: Your teeth crunch through the crispy exterior of the cookie and salty pretzel crust. Your tongue first tastes the buttery cookie. You bite down a little more  and the gooey cookie center oozes onto your tongue. One more bite and  your tongue is introduced to the salty pretzel crust. Chew, chew. The buttery cookie mixes with the salty pretzels, which then mingles with the chocolate–your mouth is happy!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups with a Pretzel Crust
Recipe Type: Cookie
Author: Jennie
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 22-24 Cookie Cups
Ingredients
  • Pretzel Crust
  • 2 1/2 cups pretzel snaps or thins
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • ⅔ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 3/4 cup, plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • ½ tsp. baking soda
  • ¼ tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup coarsely crushed pretzels
Instructions
Pretzel Crust
  1. Add the pretzels and brown sugar to the bowl of your food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse crumb. Drizzle in the melted butter while pulsing slowly until just incorporated and the mixture resembles wet sand. The mixture should stick together slightly when pressed between your fingers.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two muffin pans with non-stick spray.
  3. Add a heaping tablespoon of the pretzel mixture to each individual muffin cup. Using your fingers, press the crust evenly into the bottom of each cup.
  4. Bake the crust for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before adding the cookie dough.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
  1. In a small bowl, add flour, corn starch, kosher salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugars and cooled butter. Whisk in vanilla extract, egg, and egg yolk.
  3. Fold the flour mixture into the sugar mixture until just incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips.
  4. Using a cookie scoop, drop slightly mounded scoops of dough directly on top of the pretzel crust. Using your fingers, press the cookie dough down slightly. Top with a few crushed pretzel pieces. Bake one muffin pan at a time, storing the other pan in the refrigerator, for 16-17 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown.Transfer the muffin pan to a wire rack. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes before removing. Allow the cups to cool completely on the wire racks before storing in an airtight container. Cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container for up to 7 days.