When it comes to snacking, I am usually a sweet kind of gal, but once in awhile I do get a mad craving for something salty. There are also times when I crave both, it just depends on the day and my mood. Laurie (Tasty Kitchen user and fellow blog contributor Simply Scratch) created a cookie bar that solves all of my craving issues. These Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars with a Salty Pretzel Crust make life easy when you want the best of both worlds. If you have a sweet tooth, these bars are for you. If you are in the mood for a little salt, these bars are also for you. These cookie bars will put a smile on everyone’s face. 

To make the bars, you will need: butter, granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, baking soda, salt, chocolate chips, and crushed pretzels. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9 x 13 baking dish with parchment paper. 

Beat butter and sugars together until creamy. 

Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until just blended. 

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together until airy.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing well after each addition. 

Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. 

Add in the chocolate chips and mix one last time. 

For the crust, combine the crushed pretzels and melted butter in a large bowl. 

Spread the pretzel mixture evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 8 minutes. 

Drop spoonfuls of cookie dough over the pretzel crust. 

Carefully spread the dough evenly over the crust and press the dough into the crust with your fingers. Bake for 20-24 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time. Remove from the oven when the bars are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. 

When the bars have cooled, remove from the pan, using the parchment paper. Cut into bars and serve. 

These chocolate chip cookie bars are sweet, rich, and full of chocolate. The crushed pretzel crust adds a nice crunch and kick of salt. They really are the perfect cookie bar treat. If you are not sure what you are craving, make these Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars with a Salty Pretzel Crust. They will definitely cure your craving! Thanks Laurie for sharing your cookie bar recipe. Make sure you visit Laurie’s blog, Simply Scratch, for other tasty recipes and fabulous food photos. 

Printable Recipe

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars with a Salty Pretzel Crust

by Laurie - Simply Scratch on October 28, 2011 in Brownies and Bars, Desserts October 28, 2011 Brownies and BarsDesserts

See post on Laurie - Simply Scratch’s site!

4.62 Mitt(s) 8 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 25 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 15

Share f a e

15

• Print
• Leave a comment
• write a review

x

Print Options

Page size

Letter 3x5 4x6

Text Size

Small Medium Large

Content

Include description
Include prep time, etc.
Show image

Print

Description

Chocolate chip cookies meets salty pretzels. My favorite cookie bar recipe to date!

Ingredients

• FOR THE COOKIE DOUGH:
• ¾ cups Unsalted Butter, At Room Temperature
• ¾ cups Granulated Sugar
• ¾ cups Dark Brown Sugar
• 2 whole Large Eggs
• 1-½ teaspoon Real Vanilla Extract
• 2-¼ cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• ¾ teaspoons Kosher Salt
• 1 bag (11 Oz. Size) Milk Chocolate Chips (I Like Ghirardelli)
• FOR THE CRUST:
• 3-½ cups Pretzel Sticks, Crushed Into Tiny Pieces
• ¾ cups Unsalted Butter, melted

Preparation Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Line a 9x13x2 baking pan with parchment paper (for easy removal).

Beat butter and sugars at medium speed until creamy. Add eggs and the vanilla, beating until just blended.

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Whisk until airy and gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar/egg mixture, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides and add in the chocolate chips. Mix one last time for a second then set aside.

For the crust, combine the crushed pretzel pieces with the melted butter, stir to combine. Spread pretzel mixture over the bottom of your prepared pan and bake for 8 minutes.

Drop large spoonfuls of the cookie dough and scatter it over the pretzel crust. Carefully and evenly spread the batter over the warm pretzels. With your (clean) fingers, press the dough into the pretzels. Place the pan in your preheated oven and bake for 20-24 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the cooking time. Remove when the bars are golden and a tester comes out clean.

When bars have cooled, remove (using the parchment paper) and cut into 15 bars. Enjoy!

 
 
_______________________________________

Maria and her husband Josh (who she affectionately refers to as her “dough boy”) blog at Two Peas and Their Pod. They’ve been featured on Saveur, Eatocracy, Gourmet Live, Glamour, and the Los Angeles Times, to name just a few. They’d also just recently added a little pea to their pod. We’re so glad to have them here!

 
I’ve been on a pumpkin kick lately. I told myself I was going to stop, it is becoming an addiction, but then I saw Lauren’s (TK member Lauren’s Latest) recipe for Ooey Gooey Caramel Pumpkin Blondies with Chocolate and Walnuts on Tasty Kitchen. Anything with Ooey and Gooey in the title catches my attention and there was also pumpkin and chocolate in the mix. Heaven! I knew I had to try this recipe. Who cares if I have a pumpkin addiction, at least it only lasts during the fall season. I got out my trusty can of pumpkin and started baking. 

To make this recipe you will need the following ingredients: butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour, baking soda, salt, walnuts (I omitted the nuts because my husband is allergic), chocolate chips, caramels, and heavy cream. 

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 9×13 pan with cooking spray. Set aside. 

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 

Stir in the eggs, vanilla, and pumpkin.

Mix until combined. 

Slowly incorporate the remaining blondie ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again until you have a smooth batter. 

Spread about 2/3 of the batter into the prepared pan. 

Sprinkle nuts and chocolate chips evenly over the batter. (Remember that I omitted the walnuts because my husband is allergic.) 

Place caramels and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat until the caramel is smooth. You will need to stir the caramel every 20 seconds to prevent it from burning. 

Pour melted caramel over the batter and spread gently with a knife so the caramel covers the pan. 

Place dollops of the remaining batter over the caramel layer.

Spread the dollops with a knife until the batter evenly covers the pan. It is okay if a little caramel peeks through. 

Bake for 25 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Let the blondies cool completely before cutting and serving. 

Serve blondies with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. 

I loved everything about these blondies. They are the ultimate pumpkin dessert. They are soft, moist, and the caramel and chocolate layer is divine. Ooey and gooey definitely deserves to be in this recipe title. If you are looking for one pumpkin recipe to make this fall—I don’t know how you could make just one, but if you do, make these blondies. Pumpkin perfection indeed! The only problem is you will want to eat the entire pan. I’m okay with it if you do, but if you are feeling generous, share with your family and friends. They will love you even more after tasting these Ooey Gooey Caramel Pumpkin Blondies with Chocolate and Walnuts. Okay, enough already, go make these blondies! 

Thanks Lauren for a most excellent recipe. Make sure you visit Lauren’s blog, Lauren’s Latest, for other delicious recipes and drool-worthy photos. 

Printable Recipe

Ooey Gooey Caramel Pumpkin Blondies with Chocolate and Walnuts

by Lauren's Latest on October 21, 2011 in Brownies and Bars, Desserts October 21, 2011 Brownies and BarsDesserts

See post on Lauren's Latest’s site!

4.72 Mitt(s) 11 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 25 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 16

Share f a e

16

• Print
• Leave a comment
• write a review

x

Print Options

Page size

Letter 3x5 4x6

Text Size

Small Medium Large

Content

Include description
Include prep time, etc.
Show image

Print

Description

Addictive. Festive. Heaven in your mouth.

Ingredients

• FOR THE BLONDIES:
• ¾ cups Butter, Softened
• 1 cup Packed Brown Sugar
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 cup Pumpkin Puree
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• ½ teaspoons Nutmeg
• 1-¾ cup All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• FOR THE FILLING:
• ½ cups Chopped Walnuts
• ¼ cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 14 ounces, weight Caramels, Unwrapped (1 Bag)
• ¼ cups Heavy Cream

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13 pan with non stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in eggs, vanilla and pumpkin until combined. Slowly incorporate the remaining ‘blondies’ ingredients into the batter. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly to ensure a smooth batter. Spread about 2/3 of the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

For the filling: Sprinkle nuts and chocolate chips over top of the batter.

Place caramels and cream into a heat-proof bowl. Microwave on high until caramel is smooth and completely melted, being sure to stir every 20 seconds. Stop as soon as it’s melted and smooth.

Pour melted caramel over chocolate and nuts. Spread around evenly with a butter knife or spoon. Place dollops of the remaining batter over the top of the caramel layer. Spread those dollops out to try and get a smooth layer of batter over top. (It’s fine if some of the caramel layer is peeking through.)

Bake for 25 minutes or until edges are golden and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. (It might come out with a little caramel on it which is fine. You don’t want batter on the toothpick.)

Cool completely before serving. Or be prepared to get a whole lot of oozing caramel if you serve it warm.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

 
 
_______________________________________

Maria and her husband Josh (who she affectionately refers to as her “dough boy”) blog at Two Peas and Their Pod. They’ve been featured on Saveur, Eatocracy, Gourmet Live, Glamour, and the Los Angeles Times, to name just a few. They’d also just recently added a little pea to their pod. We’re so glad to have them here!

Fall is here and that means it's pumpkin season. I love cooking and baking with pumpkin and I am always looking for new ways to use pumpkin in the kitchen. I recently stumbled upon this recipe for Pumpkin Cornbread from Tasty Kitchen member Tracy (sugarcrafter) and immediately added it to my "must try" pumpkin list. I made vegetarian chili for dinner one night and…

It is no secret that I have an obsession with cookies. We have over 100 cookie recipes on our food blog. I love baking, eating, and sharing cookies. They make me happy. I told myself I wasn’t going to bake any cookies this week because it is so hot outside. I didn’t want to turn […]