Chocolate Pretzel Cookies

Chocolate Pretzel Cookies is a easy to make Christmas Cookie recipe.  They taste like soft chocolate sugar cookies in a cute pretzel shape.  Coarse sugar is sprinkled on top.  Recipe makes 20 cookies.

Classic Sugar Cookies Recipe

These are one of my all time favorite cookie recipes. They taste just like Sugar Cookies with a classic chocolate spin to them.  You taste a moist cookie with each bite that just melts in your mouth.  After eating a couple cookies, I make my husband take these from me or I will eat them all. I absolutely love them!

Chocolate Pretzel Cookies Ingredients

• 1/2 cup powdered confectioners sugar
• 3/4 cup butter softened
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup Dutch processed unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 cup flour

For the egg glaze you’ll need:

• 1 large egg white
• 1 tablespoon water
• coarse sugar

How to Make Chocolate Pretzel Cookies

These are pretty straightforward easy to make cookies, the only part that takes a couple extra minutes is shaping them into pretzels (I’ll show you how to do that below).

In a large bowl cream together confectioners sugar, butter, salt and vanilla.  By using confectioners sugar you’re guaranteed a soft and moist cookie. Now add in the cocoa powder and flour and continue mixing until a dough forms.

I recommend using a Dutch processed unsweetened cocoa powder as I think it has more of a mellow smoother chocolate flavor. If you can only find natural unsweetened cocoa powder (like Hershey’s) that’ll work too.  If you want to know more about different cocoa powders, here’s a great comparison. 

Break off a piece of dough about the size of a ping pong ball.  I like to do this now until all the dough is gone so they’re all ready to shape into pretzels. 

How to shape a pretzel

1. On a floured surface, roll the dough piece into 10 inch long pieces of rope.
   
2. Shape the dough into a letter U shape.
   
3. Cross over the ends to make a large loop, like you’re beginning to make a bow.
   
4. Cross over the ends again.
   
5. Now take both ends and flip them over to the bottom, making a pretzel shape.  Gently press down.
   

Place the cookies on parchment paper (easy cleanup) or silicone baking mats. 

We will be giving the pretzels a simple egg white glaze so the sugar sticks to them.  In a small bowl whisk together a large egg white and 1 tablespoon water.

Brush the egg glaze on top of each pretzel.

Now you’ll want to sprinkle coarse sugar on top of them. 

If you can’t find coarse sugar, you can buy a box of sugar cubes (like the $1 box) and crush them up gently until you have sugar that is coarse.  That’s what I did. 🙂

Now sprinkle the sugar on top of the pretzels and bake for 14-16 minutes.  Once they come out of the oven they will be slightly soft, but they will firm up quickly.  Just allow them to cool for about 15 minutes.

And just like that you have almost 2 dozen Chocolate Pretzel Cookies to devour.  I mean share.  Actually I mean devour.  But you can share too.  Ok, it’s up to you!

I label these as Christmas cookies, but I make these year round as they’re one of my favorite Chocolate Cookies.  If you wanted to make them into Vanilla Pretzel Cookies you can use a traditional vanilla cookie dough recipe, and then shape as shown here.

Cookie Exchange Recipes

I like giving out baked goods for holiday presents, especially to the people that help us everyday, like Enceladus’s teachers,  morning crossing guards and staff in our building.   For this I make a variety of cookies and fill up a tin with 3-4 different types of cookies.  Everyone always tells me these Chocolate Pretzel Cookies are one of their favorites!

Other Christmas Cookie Recipes:

Here’s some other Christmas Cookie Recipes that I think you’ll like.

Christmas Donut Cookies
Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies
Peanut Butter Sugar Cookies
Christmas Cookies that Kids Can Make
Sugar Puff Cookies
Snowball Cookies
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Chow Mein Noodle Cookies

 I hope you like these Chocolate Sugar Cookies as much as I do!  Just try not to eat them all! 🙂

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Chocolate Pretzel Cookies

Chocolate Pretzel Cookies is a easy to make Christmas Cookie recipe.  They taste like soft chocolate sugar cookies in a cute pretzel shape.  Coarse sugar is sprinkled on top.  Recipe makes 20 cookies.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Chocolate Pretzel Cookies

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 16 minutes

Total Time 36 minutes

Servings 20

Calories 95 kcal

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup powdered confectioners sugar
• 3/4 cup butter softened
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup Dutch processed unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 cup flour

Egg White Glaze

• 1 large egg white
• 1 tablespoon water
• coarse sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or use silicone baking mats.

2. In a large bowl cream together confectioners sugar, butter, salt and vanilla.

3. Add in cocoa powder and flour and continue mixing until a dough forms.
4. Break off a piece of dough about the size of a ping pong ball. On a floured surface, roll the dough piece into 10 inch long pieces of rope. Shape into pretzels (see my blog post for photos to walk you through this step). Place on baking sheet. Repeat until all the dough is gone.
5. To make the egg glaze, whisk together the egg white and water until it foams. Using a brush, brush each pretzel lightly with the egg mixture. Sprinkle with coarse sugar on top.
6. Bake the cookies for 14-16 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes as the cookies will feel a little soft when they come out of the oven, but don't worry, they firm up.

Recipe Notes

If you want to make the dough ahead of time, wrap the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you're ready to shape the cookies.