Satisfy your sweet and salty cravings with these incredible Butterscotch Pretzel Cookies. This recipe elevates a classic cookie base by adding instant butterscotch pudding mix, which guarantees an ultra-soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture that stays tender for days. Packed with a spectacular combination of coarsely crushed mini pretzel twists, rich semisweet chocolate chips, and buttery milk chocolate toffee bits, every bite offers a delightful symphony of textures. Finished with a light sprinkle of coarse sea salt just before baking, these cookies are a true crowd-pleaser. They are the perfect addition to holiday cookie exchanges, game day snack platters, or a fun weekend baking project!
Here’s a look at the ingredients you’ll need to make these irresistible Butterscotch Pretzel Cookies.
Gold Medal™ All Purpose Flour: Gives the cookies their perfect structure, ensuring they hold their shape beautifully on the baking sheet.
Butterscotch Instant Pudding Mix: One 4-serving box of dry instant pudding mix is the secret ingredient, keeping the cookies incredibly soft, chewy, and full of rich butterscotch flavor.
Mini Pretzel Twists: Coarsely crushed pretzels provide the ultimate salty crunch to balance the sweet cookie dough.
Semisweet Chocolate Chips & Toffee Bits: A decadent blend of rich chocolate and buttery milk chocolate toffee bits adds layers of sweet indulgence.
Other Ingredients You’ll Need: Softened butter, granulated sugar, packed brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, baking soda, salt, and coarse sea salt for sprinkling.
Here are our favorite tips for making the best Butterscotch Pretzel Cookies. Follow the recipe for all the specifics.
Beat the softened butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in the dry pudding mix, then add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla. On low speed, gradually beat in the flour, baking soda, and salt until a soft, uniform dough forms.
Gently stir in the crushed pretzels, chocolate chips, and toffee bits until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Sprinkle each with coarse sea salt and bake 9 to 11 minutes until light brown.
Use these great tips for storing baked Butterscotch Pretzel Cookies.
Once completely cool, store the cookies in an airtight food-storage container at room temperature. Place waxed or cooking parchment paper between layers if stacking. Store up to 5 days.
Package as directed above, using an airtight freezer food-storage container. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Remove frozen cookies from the container and place them in a single layer on a plate. Let stand uncovered for about 20 minutes or until thawed.
Heat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, beat softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed about 1 minute or until fluffy; scrape side of bowl. Beat in dry pudding mix. Beat in eggs, one at a time, just until smooth. Stir in vanilla. On low speed, beat flour mixture into sugar mixture until well blended.
Stir in crushed pretzels, chocolate chips, and toffee bits until blended.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Sprinkle each cookie lightly with coarse salt.
Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until light brown. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes. Store covered in airtight container at room temperature.
For success in this recipe, the butterscotch instant pudding mix is not prepared according to the box directions. Instead, the dry pudding mix is added directly to the creamed butter-sugar mixture to lock in moisture and flavor.
For even baking, make sure your cookies are the same shape and size. Using a cookie scoop is the easiest way to ensure uniform portions so that every cookie bakes to the exact same level of golden-brown perfection.
When crushing your mini pretzel twists, aim for a coarse crush rather than a fine powder. Having distinct, bite-sized pretzel pieces ensures you get that signature salty crunch in every single bite.
| Food Component / Nutrient | Amount | % , Daily Value* |
|---|---|---|
| Total Fat | 6g | 9% |
| Saturated Fat | 3&½g | 17% |
| Trans Fat | 0g | % Value Not Available |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 1&½g | % Value Not Available |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0g | % Value Not Available |
| Omega-3 | 0g | % Value Not Available |
| Cholesterol | 15mg | 6% |
| Sodium | 180mg | 7% |
| Total Carbohydrate | 18g | 6% |
| Dietary Fiber | 0g | 0% |
| Soluble Fiber | 0g | % Value Not Available |
| Insoluble Fiber | 0g | % Value Not Available |
| Sugars | 10g | % Value Not Available |
| Protein | 1g | % Value Not Available |
| Vitamin D | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Calcium | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Iron | Value Not Available | 4% |
| Potassium | 35mg | 1% |
| Vitamin A | Value Not Available | 2% |
| Vitamin C | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Vitamin E | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Thiamin | Value Not Available | 4% |
| Riboflavin | Value Not Available | 4% |
| Niacin | Value Not Available | 2% |
| Vitamin B6 | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Folic Acid | Value Not Available | 4% |
| Vitamin B12 | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Pantothenic Acid | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Phosphorus | Value Not Available | 4% |
| Magnesium | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Zinc | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Manganese | Value Not Available | 4% |
| Selenium | Value Not Available | 4% |
| Copper | Value Not Available | 2% |
| Beta-Carotene | Value Not Available | % Value Not Available |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | ||
