What a beautiful week in Maine surrounded by turning leaves and sunny, breezy weather. I’ve settled into a nice groove and felt my mind wander to nostalgia, art, and hope for the future. Aided by my visit with an old friend. A new bagel shop. And homemade chocolate chip pretzel cookies. I’ve been wanting to make them for a while, because I love chocolate covered pretzels. And after my cookie experiment a couple weeks ago, I was determined to get them right.
Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookies
After working Wednesday I excitedly drove home with my windows down, prepared for the second episode of Survivor. We made grilled cheeses for dinner and gathered around the TV. And afterwards I retired to my bed. Warm shower, gingerbread candle, and a new favorite TV show. The Portrait Artist of the Year. It’s a British TV show that started in 2013 where they search for the best portrait painter in the UK. The season starts with auditions where a select few (who submit self-portraits to be considered) compete in groups, painting 3 celebrities.
I fell in love with the show very quickly. As a painter I connected with many of the contestants and the love they exhibit for colors and faces. The models pose for 4 hours and each artist nervously paints, or draws, their own interpretation of them. One artist made a linocut block print instead of a painting. There were some watercolor artists, and even an embroidery artist. It’s a cozy, charming show like The Great British Bake Off. The artists are seriously talented, and the judges have helped me see beauty in different types of art styles.
Portrait Painting Inspiration
In college I was obsessed with portraits. So I reflected on the fact that I haven’t painted one in a while. Aside from my self-portrait years ago in candlelight. Which was also some time in fall. I used a mirror and braced my left hand under my chin. One cold night when I was bored and feeling creative. I was so enamored with the blending, shapes, colors, and textures of faces when I studied art in college. I had one friend who was exceptionally talented at painting portraits. She would paint large square canvases of her friend’s faces. Each a different background color. I was so blown away by them that I decided to try it myself.
The focus of my senior project was on portraits. I painted myself, my mom, and my dad. It was a very special and peaceful time in my life where the front of my mind was filled with burnt Sienna and group “crits”. Field trips to museums and sketches of compositions. It felt like the world was ripe with potential and that if I worked hard I could become a famous artist. But I’m not disappointed that I’m not “famous” 10 years later. I’m so proud of how much I’ve grown, practiced, and developed. And now I feel fully inspired to get back into the more academic side of painting. Homemade big canvases. Fresh gesso. The smell of paints and oil soap.
Cookie Dreaming
Anyway, I’ve also been thinking a lot about cookies. I tried to make apple cookies a few weeks ago which were far too moist. They came out cakey and domed – nothing like the rippled, flat, chewy cookies I dreamed of. So I knew making chocolate chip pretzel cookies would be much easier. I decided to add pretzel dust in place of some of the flour. Not use brown butter but simply use melted butter to achieve an even spread. I also picked up a bag of dark chocolate chips and polished off a couple ends of chocolate bars to add some texture. On the way home Monday I bought a bag of pretzels for only 3 dollars. I still had plenty, even after snacking.
After a lot of cookie research I developed a plan. As I said, melted butter helps cookies spread quickly and evenly. Brown butter loses too much moisture and makes cookies a little harder. I also realized I needed to use more white sugar than brown sugar and plenty of baking soda. I also added an egg yolk to my standard dough, which I read could help. And I took about 1/3 cup of flour out and replaced it with the dust from blending pretzels. To impart a little extra bit of that sour rye flavor they have. I held off on the salt, too, knowing how much the pretzels would add.
Flour, Sugar, and Butter
After melting my butter I added my sugars, a good splash of real vanilla, and whisked it all up. Another mistake I think I’ve been making is not letting the brown butter cool. The air whipped into butter when you cream it with sugar helps the spread as well, and when it’s too hot the sugars dissolve. So I impatiently waited for the butter to thicken and cool in my glass bowl on our blue counter. In the meantime I watched more of my show and ate lunch. The butter beckoned me. But to pass the time I measured and sifted my flour. And lined my pans with parchment paper.
Finally my butter was ready. I gave it a good strong whisk and continued, adding my egg and egg yolk and then the dry ingredients. Before I mixed it up I added a big handful of pretzels and a whole bag of chocolate chips. 10 ounces. I immediately knew it was the right texture, so I got excited. It had that ripply, spoonable, sugary-thick cookie dough feel that reminded me of baking with my mom. It reminded me of her recipe when I tasted a spoonful. The pretzels added a great crunch and salt-pop. I let them rest for a bit before baking.
Chewy + Crisp Chocolate Cookies
I scooped them and left plenty of room for spreading. Then I popped a pretzel or two on top of each and thick chunks of my chocolate. And I squatted in front of the oven excitedly as they baked. At first I saw just the edges melting and bubbling and the big humps in the centers didn’t appear to be cooperating. But after a quick blink and a swipe of the flour on the counter with a wet sponge I returned. They were spreading! The chocolate puddled and pooled. The butter and vanilla danced fragrantly out of the oven door. I was happy.
When I took out the chocolate chip pretzel cookies my suspicions were confirmed. They were the real deal – rippled, flat, but substantial enough to have a good chewy center. I quickly put the next batch in and set the timer. And as they cooled I studied them. I banged the pan on the counter, too, to get them even flatter while warm. And then, after a long afternoon of smelling these heavenly fresh, warm cookies, I dug in. Burning my hands on a hot lava spot of chocolate.
Good Sunny Fall Days
The taste was similar to my mom’s recipe. The ones my teachers would beg for at the end of the school year. The ones my roommate and I would snack on in college, even fresh out the freezer. But the pop of the pretzels delighted me. The flecks of salt cut through the sweet sugar. And the texture was perfectly chewy. It was my dream cookie. I ate a couple by the time I went to work the next day. And I brought the rest in a Tupperware with a note on it to the break room.
By the time I finished my shift on Saturday they were gone. My coworkers politely offered each other the last cookie as if not hoping someone would say “no, I insist, you can have it.” I smiled knowing I had a couple more at home. And once again I left for the day, tired. Exhausted, really. Because Saturday was our Le Creuset sale and Autumnfest in Bath. We were packed with customers all day and I lost count of how many times I gave them my spiel about the Autumnfest promo. The energy was light and happy all day.
Painting Plans
It feels like a great time right now. The weather has been fresh and warm but we still had a slight autumn breeze. The leaves are at their peak. Crimson and orange. Bright yellow and occasional burnt browns or purples. Some trees are holding onto their greens for dear life. And I plan to take a drive through the back roads once they all turn. I also plan to carve a pumpkin or two this year. And my coworkers are working on a group Halloween costume.
For now I’ll be enjoying my chocolate chip pretzel cookies, good TV, and the rest of Autumn. Funnily enough I made my pumpkin cake last week and now cookies, which perfectly corresponded with the challenges on The Great British Bake Off’s new season. The charming and quirky bakers warmed my heart, as always. I’m very excited to paint more. Not just food. To order some new oil tubes online and to break out some old canvases that are begging for some action. I’ve already written down a bunch of ideas and made some plans.
Thank You!
It feels good to feel curious and creative and inspired again. In many ways I’m starting to feel connected with my young adult self. The one in college that was rebellious, competitive, creative, and in love with art. I’ve now shed most of the bad parts of being that age. My anxieties. Insecurities. So I’m feeling a bit unstoppable. I’m off to paint my chocolate chip pretzel cookies with some orange tea. And I’m realizing I might need new brushes. I’ll make do for now.
Thank you for reading! Be sure to check out my Etsy shop for 100’s of recipe cards and watercolor art prints of food. Use code THEFORKEDRING for 25% off. Happy October!
Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp AP flour
- 1/3 cup pretezel powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 10 oz dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup salted pretzels
Instructions
- Melt butter in a microwave-safe bowl or in a sauté pan. Let cool until room temperature, about 15-20 minutes, and add sugars.
- Whisk sugars into the butter thoroughly. Then, add vanilla extract, egg, and egg yolk and combine.
- In a separate bowl, sift together AP flour, pretzel powder, kosher salt, and baking soda.
- Add flour mixture to egg and butter mixture and mix until half-combined. Then, add chocolate chips and pretzels and mix until fully combined.
- Rest cookie batter for 20-30 minutes at room temperature before baking. Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Use an ice cream scoop to form cookies and place 4 on each baking sheet, spread 2 inches apart.
- Garnish each cookie with extra chocolate and pretzels. Press down to adhere onto dough and to flatten slightly.
- Bake cookies for 11-13 minutes, until flat, rippled, and very slightly undercooked in the middle.
- Let cool and sprinkle with a light touch of sea salt.
Notes
- To make pretzel flour, simply blend 1/2 – 1 cup pretzels until a powder forms.
- Bang the pan gently on the counter to help flatten cookies after baking, if needed.
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