Word on the street is that many of you are experiencing temperatures of -20 degrees. At least that’s what I’m seeing come through my DM’s on Instagram. Honestly, even though I live in the cold and snowy mountains of Colorado, I still think that’s wayyyy too cold. We are not experiencing these -20 degree temperatures, but I’m feeling sympathy for all of you out there who are. And to show my support, I baked us up the very best weekend treat I could possibly imagine. Because when it’s too cold to leave your house, there’s no better use of your time than to bake. Especially when it’s literally freezing outside, and especially after a long week. Anyone else so happy it’s finally Friday? I know I am. I’m also excited to share these pretzels with you all, and to welcome in the month of February. I actually loved January, but with February comes the excitement of longer days, fresh-cut flowers, and chocolates for Valentine’s Day. In general, just a fun month ahead. OH! And today is my brother Brendan’s birthday! See, it’s such a good day. Hmm, let’s see, he’s 29 today! Wishing I could share these pretzels with him, but I’m sure he’s eating well and enjoying the Cali sunshine. OK, moving along, let’s talk details. If any of you have been reading for a good number of years, this is what I am calling a “retro” recipe. It’s an older HBH recipe that I’ve recreated to make easier and better. And honestly, to resurrect it from the HBH graveyard that’s 2,000+ recipes deep… Not even kidding. So I made these cookie stuffed pretzels years and years ago, but I think I love them more this year. I mean, my gosh, these are quite possibly one of the best desserts I’ve ever come up with. They’re warm, chocolatey, doughy, a little salty, and all kinds of delicious. Start with the pretzel dough. Don’t fear it, it’s so easy. You just need a handful of ingredients, mostly water, flour, and a little bit of time. While the dough is rising, make the cookie dough. Now, I just used my favorite homemade cookie dough. Since these pretzels are a little over the top as is, I didn’t want to overwhelm things with a fancy cookie dough. Sometimes simple is best. That said, I did switch it up slightly by using semi-sweet chocolate chunks, but you can use chocolate chips or chocolate chunks, either is great. To assemble, simply roll the pretzel dough out into ropes, flatten, add a little cookie dough to the center, seal, and form the dough into pretzels (see photos for references). I will say that your first pretzel is most likely going to look the worst. There will probably be a few holes throughout the dough. DO NOT let this scare you off. Having a few holes in the dough is totally fine and just leaves room for the cookies to ooze out a little while baking, which is delicious for the end results. So don’t stress. As you continue to make and shape the pretzel, each will get a little easier and you’ll get the hang of things. The bottom line, no matter what your pretzels end up looking like, they will, without a doubt, taste DELICIOUS! And that’s all that matters. I made these with the Super Bowl in mind, as they’re the perfect game day dessert. But let’s be honest, you should probably make these today, since it’s Friday, you know just for a little practice. And then again on Sunday for the Super Bowl. Oh, and then maybe even again for Valentine’s Day later this month… Basically every other week is ideal. Because salty soft pretzels + chocolate chip cookie dough is truly what you lay awake at night dreaming about. Dramatic? Yes. True? YES. Happy Friday guys! Stay warm and enjoy some seriously good cookies this weekend! If you make the cookie stuffed soft pretzels, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
