Cookie Dough Pretzel Bites

This post is so overdue. I made these tasty little treats a few times over the Christmas holiday, as the pictures clearly identify. I needed something quick and easy to supplement the larger desserts and little snack treats to bring to work and share with my student cooking club and teacher book club. I found these Cookie Dough Pretzel Bites on Pinterest and decided to give them a try.

I made them exactly as the original recipe said on my first run. I noticed that they seemed a little bland. They were missing that little zing that made me want to keep eating them. I was looking for that feeling that I couldn’t stop eating them. The second time I made these, I added some extra salt to the warm chocolate, adding that sweet and salty complexity. This time, I kept coming back for more.

The third time I made these, I was running low on time and milk chocolate. First, I purchased a tub of premade cookie dough so that I did not have to make the raw dough and clean dishes from it. I also added a bar of dark chocolate and mixed it with the melting milk chocolate since I was running low on chips. Although it took slightly longer to melt, the dark chocolate added a deep richness to the treat. 

This ended up being the perfect easy holiday treat. People enjoyed them and they were quick in a time crunch. Plus, the ingredients are few and they are easy to purchase, making it an efficient treat, too.

Next chance, I may try using peanut butter cookie dough!

Ingredients
40 oz. tub Nestle Tollhouse Cookie Dough
90-100 mini pretzel twists
2 cups Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Chips
3-4 oz. 60% Dark Chocolate, cut into small pieces
2 teaspoons shortening
Sea Salt to taste

Method
1. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Set aside. Also check to make sure there is enough room in the freezer for it.

2. Roll the desired amount of cookie dough into small balls. The sizes may vary depending on how large you would like the sandwiches. Press the dough balls between two pretzels and place the sandwiches on the baking sheet. Freeze the sandwiches for 20 minutes.

3. While the sandwiches are chilling, melt the milk and dark chocolates with the shortening using a small saucepan over low heat. Stir quickly with a rubber spatula so that the chocolate does not burn.

4. Pour the chocolate into a bowl for dipping. I used a small ramekin. Dip the pretzel bites halfway into the melted chocolate and place the bites back on the baking sheet. Sprinkle desired amount of sea salt over the warm chocolate. Refrigerate the dipped sandwiches for at least 10 minutes to allow the chocolate and salt to set. Once they are completely cooled, have a bite and enjoy!