What? Caramel and pretzels in a chocolate chip cookie? Yes I did it and it is good. Really good. The pretzels add an unexpected salty crunch while the caramel adds an extra bit of gooey sweetness. If you are tired of plain old chocolate chip cookies, try these. Here's what you'll need:
- 1 C shortening
- 1 C dark brown sugar
- 1/2 C sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 1/4 C flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 C dark chocolate chips
- 1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 C caramel bits
- 1 C pretzel chips, chopped
- 1 chopped pecans
Start by creaming together the shortening, the dark brown sugar, and the regular sugar. Add the eggs and mix well.
Now stir in the chocolate chips, caramel bits, chopped pretzels, and nuts. I know it seems like there are more add ins than dough, but just stir it well to combine. Now scoop onto parchment covered cookie sheets. I like to make these cookies really big so that you get plenty of goodies in each bite, so i use an ice cream scoop. You should be able to fit 6 on each cookie sheet, and you'll get 18 total. Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes or until they begin to brown around the edges.
Yummy!!
These can be altered to suit your personal taste very easily. The next time I make them, I'm going to double the amount of caramel I use and decrease the amount of chocolate because I'm a caramel lover. Use any proportions you like as long as it adds up to 5 cups of add ins. Any more than that and the cookies may not hold together.
A word of warning: the caramel bits get really hard if they touch the cookie sheet while they are baking. The next time I make them I am going to leave the caramel out of the dough mixture then press them into each cookie after it's on the cookie sheet. I don't want any chipped teeth on my watch...
Enjoy!
Lynn
