Words by Elisa Marshall and Benjamin Sormonte with Lauren Salkeld. Photo by Linda Xiao.
An iconic Maman cookie, these buttery, golden beauties combine crispy, crunchy pretzels with rich and smooth white chocolate to hit all the right sweet and salty notes. We like to use chocolate baking wafers in our cookies because, unlike chips, they melt into the dough, guaranteeing an extra-grey center that we’re pretty sure will make you fall head over heels. Our favorite way to enjoy these cookies is warm from the oven with a cold glass of milk.
Maman: The Cookbook by Elisa Marshall and Benjamin Sormonte with Lauren Salkeld is available now.
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White Chocolate Pretzel Cookies
Ingredients
- 1½ sticks (6 ounces / 170 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1¼ cups (250 g) sugar
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (290 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (145 g) white chocolate baking wafers (such as Guittard)
- 1 cup (about 50 g) salted mini pretzels, plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Set a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F (180°C). Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar, and salt and beat on medium, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, for about 2 minutes to fully combine. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition and mixing until the dough starts sticking to the sides of the bowl, about 3 minutes total. Add the vanilla and mix for a few seconds to incorporate. Add the flour in 2 batches and mix on low just until no flour is visible, about 1 minute. Add the baking wafers and the pretzels and fold with a wooden spoon for about 30 seconds to evenly distribute.
- Scoop the dough into roughly ¼-cup (75 g) portions and using your hands, roll each portion into a ball. Arrange the balls of dough on the prepared sheet pans, spacing them about 1½ inches (3.75 cm) apart. Top each ball of dough with a pretzel, pressing firmly to flatten the cookie slightly.
- Transfer one sheet pan to the oven and bake, rotating the sheet pan as needed for even baking, until the bottoms and edges are browned but the centers are still a little gooey, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool on the sheet pan for at least 10 minutes, then enjoy right away or transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely, about 20 minutes. Repeat to bake the remaining cookies.
Notes
Reprinted with permission from Maman: The Cookbook by Elisa Marshall and Benjamin Sormonte with Lauren Salkeld. Copyright © 2021. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House.