These Loaded Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies have all of your favorite flavors in one amazing cookie! Fabulously easy to make with no chilling time, this chocolate chip cookie recipe is full of peanut butter, chocolate, and pretzels for an undeniably delicious treat. Love chocolate chip cookies? Make sure to try my Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies and Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie too!
Loaded Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Most of the time, when my family gets a cookie craving, we make these amazing chewy chocolate chip cookies. They are phenomenal and definitely our go-to. But sometimes we like to switch things up and get a little crazy with add-ins.
This recipe combines the classic flavor of chocolate chip cookies with peanut butter, pretzels and caramel. They’re life changing.
Ingredients Needed
This recipe calls for all the usual suspects. Let’s take a look at what you’ll need to make these cookies:
- Unsalted Butter – gives cookies amazing, buttery flavor
- Butter flavored shortening – The shortening helps reduce spread and gives these cookies their impressive shape. It always means that we don’t have to let the cookie dough chill.
- Brown sugar – I like a 2:1 ratio for brown sugar and granulated sugar. The brown sugar adds so much flavor and keeps the cookies moist and tender.
- Granulated sugar – in addition to the brown sugar, you still need granulated sugar in this recipe for spreading, flavor and absorption of other ingredients.
- Peanut butter -I used creamy peanut butter, but if you would like to use crunchy peanut butter, feel free to do so.
- Egg – Use a room temperature egg, it will bind better and result in better texture.
- Vanilla extract – always use real vanilla extract if you can. Alternatively you could use Vanilla Bean paste which adds amazing flavor to cookies.
- All-purpose flour – provides the basic structure of the cookies.
- Corn starch – makes the cookies softer and helps keep them soft.
- Baking soda – our leavening in this cookie recipe.
- Salt – helps to balance flavors.
- Chocolate chips –Â I used milk chocolate chips, but you can substitute the milk chocolate for semi sweet or dark chocolate chips or a combination of your favorite baking chips.
- Pretzels –Â You’ll want to crush the pretzels relatively finely instead of leaving them chunky. I found that it was easier for the cookies to hold a circular shape and it was much easier to eat the cookie with smaller chunks of pretzel.
- Caramel bits – I used caramel bits for this recipe, but you are free to use individual wrapped caramel pieces. I recommend cutting the caramel pieces into quarters or eighths before adding to the dough.
How To Make Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Preheat oven and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Cream shortening, butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Beat in peanut butter, egg, and vanilla extract.
- Stir in flour, corn starch, baking soda, and salt until just combined.
- Fold in chocolate chips, crushed pretzels, and caramel bits until evenly distributed throughout cookie dough.
- Scoop out about 1/4 cup of dough and roll into a ball (I used an ice cream scoop for this step). and place on to a parchment lined baking sheet about 4 inches apart.
- Place in oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until edges are golden brown and the tops are cracked. It’s okay if it doesn’t look quite done in the middle.
- Let cookies sit on baking tray for 3-5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to finish cooling.
Take your cookies to the next level. When you remove the cookies from the oven, take a moment to gently press in some extra chocolate chips and maybe a couple pieces of pretzel into the top of the cookie. This extra step will make your cookies look more professional and also gives a hint as to what flavor these cookies are.
Tips for the Best Pretzel Cookies
- Use a silicone baking mat to help the cookies keep their shape and resist spreading. If you don’t have a silicone baking mat you can of course use parchment but the cookies will spread a bit more.
- Don’t forget to decorate. I like to add a few additional chocolate chips to the top of the cookies after baking. I like the pop of color on top of the cookies and it makes them even more appealing.
- Don’t over bake. The cookies are done when the edges are golden. The center may appear very slightly under baked but the cookies will continue baking on the cooking sheet. This keeps the cookies soft!
- Measure the flour correctly. And by this, I mean give the flour a good stir in your canister and then spoon the flour into your measuring cup. Use a flat edge, like a knife, to scrape away any excess flour from the top of your measuring cup.
FAQs
Can I make smaller cookies? This recipe produces, large, bakery style loaded peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, which is my preference. However, you are free to measure out smaller cookie dough balls to make smaller cookies. Bake smaller cookies in oven for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.
How do I store pretzel cookies? Store your cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature. The cookies can also be frozen for up to three months.
Can I freeze these cookies? Yes. You can freeze them after baking, or do as I like to, and freeze the dough. Scoop the cooke dough and form into balls. Place the dough balls onto a baking sheet (lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat) into the freezer and flash freeze until they are solid. Transfer the frozen cookie dough into a freezer safe ziploc bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Baking Frozen Cookies
When you’re ready to enjoy a chocolate chip cookie:
- remove the desired number of cookie dough balls from the freezer bag
- preheat the oven and place the cookie dough balls on a parchment lined baking sheet or silicone mat
- bake for an additional 1 to 2 minutes longer
- OR let the dough thaw in the fridge for several hours or on the counter for 30 minutes and bake for the normal amount of time
Variations To Try
These Loaded Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are delicious as is, but I’m always excited to try fun variations. Don’t be afraid to try out a new flavor combo!
- Change the flavor. I used milk chocolate chips, but you can substitute semi-sweet chocolate, dark chocolate chips or a combination of your favorite baking chips like peanut butter and butterscotch chips.
- Add a pop of color. Try fun add ins – like M&Ms or other small candies.
- Reduce the size of the cookies. Make sure to reduce the cooking time by a few minutes as well.
- Get nutty. Chop up pecans, walnuts or peanuts and add about a half a cup to the cookie dough.
More Chocolate Chip Cookies To Try
- Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Easter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
How To Make Loaded Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Loaded Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter flavored shortening
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup peanut butter
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups chocolate chips
- 1 cup pretzels finely crushed
- ½ cup caramel bits
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening, butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes
- Beat in peanut butter, egg, and vanilla extract until throughly combined.
- Stir in flour, corn starch, baking soda, and salt until just combined.
- Fold in chocolate chips, pretzels, and caramel bits.
- Spoon 1/4 cup of dough and roll into a ball (I used an ice cream scoop for this step) and place on prepared baking sheets about 4 inches apart.
- Place in oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are golden brown and the tops are cracked. It’s okay if they doesn’t look quite done in the middle.
- Let cookies sit on baking sheet for 3 to 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to finish cooling. Enjoy!
Lola says
Absolutely loved these Loaded Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. Next time I will try them with milk chocolate chips. Thanks for sharing.