Crispy, fudgy, salty-sweet, these simple cookies may look ordinary, but wait until you taste them. They are like a potato chip. It's hard to eat just one.
And talk about easy. One bowl to melt the butter and stir in the graham cracker crumbs for the crust. One pan to melt chocolate chips with condensed milk for the fudgy filling. And one plastic bag to roll the pretzels into coarse crumbs of various sizes for the topping. Bake, cool, cut and devour.
The cookies are very crunchy the day they are made. They become much softer held at room temperature for up to 3 days. My favorite way to eat them, however, is semi-frozen. They never freeze solid so the center remains rich and fudgy. Decadence never tasted better.
Ingredients for cookies and cookies layered in pan topped with crushed pretzels. Note the pretzels are various sizes.
Use a measuring cup to firmly press the pretzel crumbs into the chocolate before and after baking.
Fudgy Chocolate Pretzel Cookies
¼ lb. (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
10 oz. bittersweet chocolate chips (about 1 2/3 cups) I prefer 55% to 70% cacao)
3 ½ cups lightly crushed mini pretzels
3/4 teaspoon flaky salt, such as Fleur de Sel or Maldon salt
- Arrange rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with foil, allowing 2-inches to overhang on 2 sides.
- In a medium bowl, microwave butter until melted. Add graham cracker crumbs and stir until evenly moistened. Pour into the prepared pan and press evenly into the bottom.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the condensed milk and chocolate chips. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until chips are melted and the mixture is smooth. Spoon over crust and spread evenly. I like to use an offset spatula,.
- Sprinkle the pretzels over the top and press them into the chocolate using your hands and the bottom of a measuring cup. Sprinkle with salt.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and press on pretzels with the cup to help them adhere. Remove to a rack to cool, then refrigerate until firm. Pull up on foil handles to remove cookie slab to a cutting board and pull off foil. Cut into 1 3/4-to 2-inch squares.
MAKE AHEAD: Store cookies airtight for up to 3 days or even better, freeze them. They never freeze firm and are deliciously crunchy eaten semi-frozen.
Makes 24 (2-inch) cookies.
