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–+ servings
close up of marbled cookies.

Cherry Chocolate Pretzel Cookies

5 | 3 reviews
One base dough, three flavors, all rolled together into a marbled cookie that’s sweet, salty, chocolatey, and a little crunchy. Roll in turbinado sugar for a crackly top and maximum flavor, you get Valentine’s vibes with zero decisions required!
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 18 cookies

Equipment

Ingredients

For the base dough:
  • 1 cup (226g) salted butter
  • 2 tablespoons (32g) whole milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/4 cup (230g) packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
For the red cherry batch:
  • 1 tablespoon (10g) beet powder, see Note for substitutions
  • 1 tablespoon (24g) cherry jam
  • 3/4 cup and 1 teaspoon (110g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup (60g) dried cherries, chopped
For the chocolate batch:
  • 1/4 cup (24g) 100% cocoa powder
  • 3/4 cup and 1 teaspoon (110g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup (50g) chocolate covered pretzels, chopped
For the berry batch:
  • 1/2 cup (16g) freeze-dried berries
  • 3/4 cup and 1 teaspoon (110g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup (50g) raspberry covered pretzels, or any kind of chocolate covered pretzels
For topping:
  • 1/4 cup (50g) turbinado sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cherry jam
  • 18 chocolate pretzels

Instructions 

  1. First, brown the 226g of butter in a small sauté pan. Do this by melting the butter, then keeping it on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the milk solids at the bottom of the pan reach a deep golden brown. Transfer this to a medium bowl.
  2. Whisk in 32g of whole milk to cool the butter. Whisk for a minute or so, so it’s no longer hot, then crack in 2 eggs and mix. Add 230g of brown sugar, 100g of granulated sugar, and mix with a hand mixer or electric mixer for 2-3 minutes until it’s a shade lighter in brown, glossy and kind of gluey.
  3. Divide this base into two other bowls, pour 227g of “batter” into each. You should now have three bowls with a portion of the base dough.
  4. To make the red cherry batch: Mix in 10g of beet powder and 24g of cherry jam by hand. Then add 110g of flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix until a dough forms, then mix in 60g of chopped cherries. Set aside.
  5. To make the chocolate batch: Mix in 24g of cocoa powder, 110g of flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix by hand to form a dough, then mix in 50g of chopped chocolate pretzels. Set aside.
  6. To make the berry batch: Crush up 16g of freeze-dried berries to a rough powder. Add those in along with 110g flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix into a dough, then mix in 50g of chopped raspberry covered pretzels. Set aside.
  7. Preheat the oven to 350°F convection, 375°F standard.
  8. Now is where the (fun!) work comes in - use a teaspoon to scoop each dough into teaspoon-sized balls. Roll them up and set them to the side. Each dough will give you around 36 balls.
  9. Next, form one cookie by taking one ball from each batch and pressing them together in your palm. Layer another trio from each batch on top, making sure the same colors don’t overlap. Roll this into a smooth, marbled ball in your hands. Repeat this until you have 18 cookies.
  10. Coat each cooking in turbinado sugar, then place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Press them down slightly and top each with 1/2 teaspoon of cherry jam and a crushed chocolate pretzel.
  11. Bake for 9-10 minutes. When they are out of the oven, give each sheet a smack on the counter to help them flatten. Then, enjoy!

Notes

Note: For the beet powder, you can also sub 1 teaspoon red food dye, or 1 tablespoon blended up freeze-dried berries
Serving: 1 cookieCalories: 245kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 2gFat: 11g