Salted Butterscotch Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies

These Salted Butterscotch Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies are full of chunky goodness! Think sweet, salty, crunchy, chewy perfection! These are probably one of the best cookies I have ever eaten.

I love the classic chocolate chip cookie, and these are the classic recipe on steroids! They have everything I love about a good cookie—the cookie itself is that perfect chewy texture, and each bite satisfies. Salty pretzels provide a nice crunch, while butterscotch and chocolate chips provide the perfect balance between salty and sweet. I know you’ll love these sea salt butterscotch pretzel cookies!

These cookies are so easy for anyone to make, even if you’re new to baking. Get the kids involved by letting them crunch up the pretzels. No fancy ingredients are needed for these cookies—just your classic pantry ingredients.

The secret ingredient

These butterscotch chocolate chip cookies have a secret ingredient: cornstarch! I love adding just a bit of cornstarch to cookies because it makes them both light and chewy. That’s the perfect combination in my book! 

Salted Butterscotch Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookie Ingredients

This recipe uses all the classic chocolate chip cookie ingredients, plus a few extra things added in. Here’s what you need:

• ¾ cup of unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ cup of brown sugar
• ¼ cup of white sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup of mini chocolate chips
• ½ cup of butterscotch chips
• ½ cup of crushed pretzels

What kind of chocolate chips should I use for these cookies?

I prefer semi-sweet chocolate chips in my cookies as I think they help balance out the sweet butterscotch chips. I used 3/4 cup of mini chocolate chips which equals 1 cup of regular chocolate chips. You can also use milk chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips. 

How to make Salted Butterscotch Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies come together in no time at all! Whip up a batch now for an afternoon snack or after-dinner treat.

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.
2. Use the paddle attachment on a stand mixer or you can use an electric mixer. In a large mixing bowl, cream together both sugars and butter until smooth and creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla.
3. In a separate medium bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until combined. Stir in chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and crushed pretzels with a rubber spatula or pulse your stand mixer to combine.
4. Use a small cookie scoop (1 tablespoon) to drop dough onto your prepared baking sheet. Place cookie dough balls 2 inches apart. If you don’t have a scoop, you can just use about 1 tablespoon of dough and some spoons to drop them on the sheet.
5. Sprinkle a little salt on top of the cookies. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until barely golden brown. Depending on your oven, it might take a couple minutes longer. Let the cookies cool for 2-3 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Enjoy with a glass of milk!

Do you have to chill this dough before baking?

While you do not HAVE to chill this dough, after making dozens and dozens of cookie batches in my life, I can say that the best cookies are those made from chilled dough. Why? The short answer is, chilling lets the fats in the ingredients set up, which makes that deliciously chewy texture most people prefer.

So, if you have the time, chill your dough for at least 30 minutes. If not, that’s okay too.

Can you freeze Salted Butterscotch Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough?

Yes, you can freeze this cookie dough! Use the cookie scoop to make balls of dough. Flash-freeze them on a cookie sheet until they are easy to handle without sticking. Then transfer the dough balls to a freezer-safe bag and bake within 3 months. 

You can bake just a few at a time, or a whole batch! You can even bake them from frozen- just add a few extra minutes of baking time.

Storing leftover Salted Butterscotch Pretzel Cookies

Allow your cookies to cool completely to room temperature, then transfer them to an airtight container for storage. These cookies will last 3-4 days. 

You can also freeze these cookies to enjoy later. Bake and cool as directed, then transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag. Freeze cookies for up to 1 month. 

More Fantastic Cookie Recipes

If you love cookies like my family and I do, try out some of these recipes:

• Bourbon Caramel Chocolate Cookies have a chewy cookie base with chopped Dove chocolate and just the right amount of Bourbon for an after-dinner treat.
• These Peanut and Cookie Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies hit every note – salty, sweet, nutty, and chocolatey. You’ve probably had peanut butter cookies- but have you ever had them with cookie butter too?
• Milk Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies satisfy your sweet tooth and provide that crunch everyone loves! 
• Brown Butter Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies combine rich flavors of browned butter and chocolate with the earthiness of pistachios to make one delicious cookie! 
• Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies are a gussied-up version of the classic Oatmeal Scotchies you had as a kid. Make a batch today!

This post was originally published October 11, 2012. It has been updated in format and with pictures on September 28, 2023.