Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars with a Salty Pretzel Crust

These Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are moist and so flavorful! A classic cookie bar studded with milk chocolate also has a salty pretzel crust! If you’re a fan of the whole salty sweet thing, then these are your jam! Yields 12 to 15 squares depending on how you cut them.

Chocolate covered Pretzels is the best sweet treat and snack.

I can’t even look at a bag of Flipz without thinking of Wednesday nights in High school when the world fell silent and I’d park-it on my boyfriend then (husband now) couch and to eat an entire family size bag of these salty-sweet morsels of heaven while intently watching 90210 all the while wishing I had Kelly Taylor’s bangs.

To this day, I’m still in love with chocolate and pretzels. However, this time I have a food blog which gives me every right to make bars like these. But you really don’t need a blog to make these bars, but it does help to have people at home to share them with so you don’t eat the whole pan.

To make These Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars You Will Need:

for the pretzel layer:

• pretzels
• unsalted butter

for the cookie layer:

• unbleached all-purpose flour
• baking soda
• kosher salt
• unsalted butter – softened
• granulated sugar
• dark brown sugar
• eggs
• pure vanilla extract
• milk chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350°F (or 180°C).

Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper and lightly spray with a nonstick baking spray.

For The Pretzel Layer:

In a food processor, measure and add 3 cups tiny, mini pretzels.

Process until finely crushed. Alternatively, you can add them to a re-sealable bag and bash them up with a rolling pin or the flat side of a meat tenderizer.

Transfer the pretzel crumbs to a bowl, and pour in 3/4 cup of melted butter.

Stir to combine.

Press the crumbs evenly into the bottom of the pan and bake on the middle rack for 6 minutes. Remove and let cool.

In a medium mixing bowl, measure and add 2¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda and 3/4 teaspoon fine salt. Whisk to combine.

Make The Cookie Layer:

In the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, measure and add 3/4 cup unsalted butter and 3/4 cup each of granulated (white) and dark brown sugar.

Then blend until smooth and creamy.

Next, add in 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk.

And measure and add in 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract.

Then mix on medium just until it comes together.

Working in batches, add in half of the dry ingredients.

Mix until just incorporated, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Then repeat, adding in the remaining dry ingredients and mixing until just combined.

Lastly, add in 1 bag (or 11.5 ounces) of milk chocolate chips, mix on low for a few seconds.

Have mercy.

Drop the batter in large spoonfuls on to the pretzel layer.

With lightly damp fingers, press to spread the batter, until the entire pan is covered. Slide the pan into your preheated oven and bake it off for 20-24 minutes or until the top is golden and a tester comes out clean.

Remove and let cool for 30 minutes before using the parchment paper to lift and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Once mostly cool, I like to pop them into the fridge for 1 hour.

Remove cut into 12 to 15 squares and serve. One of these days I’ll be good at cutting bars, I promise. Also, don’t be alarmed if some of the pretzel layer doesn’t stick completely. Pressing the cookie dough into the crust helps it to become a crust to the bottom of the bars. As you can see in my pictures above I have a few pretzel crumb stragglers, it’s just the way this cookie. bar. crumbles?! 🙂

Is my salty/sweet obsession completely obvious or what?

Enjoy! And if you give this Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!

This recipe was originally posted on October 28, 2011 and has been updated with clear and concise instructions, new photography and helpful information.