About the Recipe
Some weeks just call for a cookie that goes all in—and this was one of them. I needed something over-the-top delicious, something sweet and salty, crunchy and creamy, and these Chocolate Pretzel Cookies with Maple Cream Cheese Filling totally hit the mark. If you’ve made my Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles, you already know I have a soft spot for spiced classics. And if you loved my Churro Sandwich Cookies or my Chewy Chocolate Toffee Cookies, this one’s going to be right up your alley.
I had a bag of chocolate-covered pretzels staring at me from the pantry, and suddenly plain chocolate chip cookies just weren’t going to cut it. I almost went the Nutella route for the filling (still a solid plan for next time), but landed on maple cream cheese instead—and I’m so glad I did. It gives just the right contrast to the sweet crunch of the cookie and the saltiness of the pretzels. These cookies are indulgent in the best way. Thick, crispy-edged, soft-centered, and just the kind of treat that feels like a reward for making it through a long week.
Sweet and salty perfection: Chocolate-covered pretzels give these cookies the best of both worlds.
Creamy maple filling: A smooth cream cheese center with just the right touch of maple sweetness.
Thick, chewy texture: Crisp edges, soft centers—everything you want in a cookie.
Impressive, but simple: They look like a bakery-style treat but come together with pantry staples.
Perfect for when you want to bake something a little extra. Not your everyday cookie—and that’s the whole point.
What You'll Love
Can I use regular pretzels instead of chocolate-covered ones? Yes, you can—but the chocolate-covered ones add an extra layer of richness. If using plain pretzels, you might want to add a few extra chocolate chips to the dough.
Do these cookies need to be refrigerated? Because of the cream cheese filling, yes—store them in the fridge in an airtight container. They’ll stay fresh for up to 5 days (though they rarely last that long!).
Can I freeze them? You can freeze the unbaked cookie dough (without the filling) or the fully baked and filled cookies. If freezing filled cookies, let them thaw in the fridge before eating.
Can I make them smaller or larger? Definitely. Just adjust the baking time—smaller cookies might need 8–10 minutes, while larger ones may take closer to 14–15 minutes.
Can I skip the filling? Of course! The cookies are still delicious on their own—chunky, chewy, and loaded with sweet and salty flavor.
Frequently asked Questions
Ingredints Explained
Ingredients
Cookies
226g unsalted butter, melted (1 cup)
100g granulated sugar (½ cup)
110g brown sugar, packed (½ cup)
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
5g vanilla extract (1 tsp)
281g all-purpose flour (2¼ cups)
5g baking soda (1 tsp)
3g salt (½ tsp)
150g chocolate-covered pretzels, chopped (1½ cups), plus 6–7 whole for decorating
Filling
76g cream cheese (⅓ cup)
45g icing sugar (6 tbsp)
15ml maple syrup (1 tbsp)
Preparation
I love this recipe because it is very straight forward. In a few short steps, you'll have created an incredible treat. They may seem complicated with how over-the-top they are, but they are easier than they seem to make.
Begin by mixing together your butter and sugars in a large bowl using a hand mixer. Blend together until you have a smooth creamy consistency. Add in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla.
Continue mixing until all ingredients are well incorporated.
In a separate bowl, sift together your flour, baking soda and salt.
Now add your flour mixture to your butter mixture and use a whisk or rubber spatula to stir everything together into one cohesive dough.
When everything is well blended add in the chopped chocolate covered pretzels. Use a rubber spatula to mix them in so that they are well distributed throughout the dough.
Use an icecream scoop or a large spoon to scoop rounds of dough onto a prepared baking sheet.
*Keep about two scoops of dough aside so that you can use it to close up your cookies a later step.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
While your oven is heating up, prepare the cream cheese filling.
In a medium bowl combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar and maple syrup.
Use your hand mixer to make sure it is all blended together into a smooth creamy texture.
With your index finger, make an indentation in the center of each prepared cookie (this is where the filling will go). You want to make it deep enough to hold some filling, but still leave enough dough at the bottom to keep a stable base.
With the help of a teaspoon or piping bag, fill the center dip with some of the cream cheese filling.
Now comes the trickiest part of these cookies.
Take each filled cookie in your hands and add a little bit of the dough you kept aside to cover the filling.
Without pressing the cookie too hard, roll the cookie in your palms to create a closed ball. You want to keep the filling intact, but just seal it in.
Repeat this step with all of the cookies.
Place the prepared cookies into the fridge to chill for about 15 minutes before baking them.
When the oven has heated, place your chilled cookies on the center rack and bake for 15-18 minutes (or until cookies are golden brown and cooked through).
When the cookies are freshly out of the oven, use the remaining chocolate pretzels to decorate the tops of each cookie.
I broke pretzels in half and stuck one half onto the top of each cookie but you can do as you like.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack until they are cooled completely.
Cookies will stay fresh if stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Enjoy!