Description

Easy no-bake Cookie Dough Pretzel Bites feature safe-to-eat chocolate chip cookie dough sandwiched between crunchy pretzel twists and dipped in smooth semi-sweet chocolate. These sweet and salty treats require no oven, come together in under an hour, and are perfect for parties, holiday gatherings, or gift-giving.

Ingredients

Cookie Dough:

1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons milk or cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 and 1/4 cups heat-treated all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Assembly:

40-50 pretzels (I use mini pretzel twists or pretzel snaps)
8 oz semi-sweet chocolate (I love Ghirardelli for melting)
1 teaspoon shortening (optional, for thinning chocolate)

Substitution Notes:

Got salted butter? Use that and skip the extra salt
Doesn’t matter what milk. I’ve literally used whatever’s in my fridge
Any chocolate works. Dark, milk, white, whatever
Mini pretzels are easier but regular ones work too

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Step 1: Prepare Workspace

Put parchment paper on a cookie sheet. That’s it. Don’t overthink it.

Step 2: Make Cookie Dough

Mix butter and both sugars until it’s fluffy. Two minutes with a mixer. Dump in milk and vanilla, mix again. Should smell really good right now.

Step 3: Add Dry Ingredients

Turn mixer off first or you’ll have flour in your hair. Add flour and salt. Start on low speed, then turn it up once things are combining. It’ll look weird and crumbly for a minute but keep going. Suddenly it’ll be actual dough. Stir in chocolate chips.

Step 4: Form Sandwiches

Grab about 2 teaspoons of dough, roll it into a ball. Doesn’t have to be perfect. Squish between two pretzels. Not too hard or dough squishes out the sides. Not too gentle or it falls off later. Medium squish. Line them up on your cookie sheet.

Step 5: Freeze

Put the sheet in your freezer. Set a timer for 20 minutes. Walk away. I tried rushing this once and it was a disaster. The dough just slid everywhere when I tried to dip them.

Step 6: Melt Chocolate

Break up chocolate into chunks, add shortening if you’re using it. Microwave 20 seconds, stir, microwave 20 seconds, stir, microwave 20 seconds, stir. Keep going til it’s melted and smooth. Don’t just microwave for a full minute or it’ll burn.

Step 7: Dip in Chocolate

Take frozen bites out. Dip halfway in chocolate. Let extra drip back into bowl. Put on parchment paper. If chocolate gets thick while you’re working, microwave it again for 15 seconds.

Step 8: Set Chocolate

Fridge for 10 minutes. Chocolate gets hard.

Notes

Don’t take all the bites out of the freezer at once unless your house is cold. Work in batches of 10-12 or the dough gets soft and messy.

Stick a fork through the pretzel to dip it. Tap fork on bowl edge to shake off extra chocolate. Slide bite off fork onto parchment. Way less messy than fingers.

No shortening in the house? Coconut oil works exactly the same.

Everyone messes up by not freezing long enough. Your dough needs to be rock solid. If you’re questioning whether it’s frozen enough, it’s not. Give it more time.

Some grocery stores sell flour that’s already heat-treated. Says something like “edible cookie dough flour” on the bag. Costs more but saves you a step.

Prep Time: 25 minutes + Freeze Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: Chill Time: 10 minutes
Category: Dessert
Method: No-bake
Cuisine: American