This Salted Caramel Chocolate Pretzel Cookie Cake are for those how love sweet and salty! This chewy cookie cake is loaded with crunchy pretzels, lots of sea salt caramel truffles, flaky sea salt and the most amazing salted caramel chocolate frosting.This is one seriously addicting treat. It's so delicious, don't be surprised if you eat the whole thing in one sitting.
Updated December 2021 with clearing information including Expert Tips and Recipe FAQs, etc.
I love cookie cake because its basically a giant thick cookie. This Salted Caramel Chocolate Pretzel Cookie Cake is soft and chewy, loaded with tons of sea salt caramel truffles and crunchy crushed pretzels. The sweet and salty flavor means you get the best of both worlds. It's topped with the most amazing Salted Caramel Chocolate Frosting.
If you haven't heard the news, Sea Salt Caramel Baking Truffles are now a thing! These Nestle Toll House Sea Salt Caramel Filled Baking Truffles are the answer to my baking prayers. I've been a sucker for sea salt caramel for a long time. And, these baking truffles are essential for this cookie cake. You get the perfect combination of sweet and salty.
This Salted Caramel Chocolate Pretzel Cookie Cake is...
- Simple and quick (no need to roll out/bake a bunch of individual cookies)
- Super soft and chewy
- Loaded with sea salt caramel baking truffles
- Perfect for sweet and salty lovers
- Great for sharing (serves 8-10)
- Easy to slice and serve
- Essentially a really big cookie!
Ingredients
See the full list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Cookie Cake Ingredient Notes
- Shorting: room temperature, makes the cookie cake super tender and tall.
- Unsalted Butter: room temperature, helps crisp up edges and gives the cookie cake a buttery taste. I use unsalted to control the salt levels in the recipe.
- Granulated Sugar + Brown Sugar: to give our cookie cake that classic cookie taste. I like dark brown sugar for a more rich caramel flavor.
- Egg: One egg for the richest, softest and chewiest cookie cake ever
- Vanilla Extract: for extra flavor
- Baking Soda + Baking Powder: Leavening agents for an extra thick cookie cake
- Salt: A pinch of salt will keep your cookie cake moist and flavorful.
- Milk: keeps the dough moist and adds color to cookie cake.
- Mini Pretzels: The salty element
- Sea Salt Caramel Baking Truffles: more amazing than basic chocolate chips! They are both sweet and salty.
Step-by-Step Ingredients
- Line and pre-heat: Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Line a 9-inch springform pan with aluminum foil. Use 4 pieces. 1 square for the bottom and then 3 smaller ones that I used on the side. Then "lock-in" the foil with the springform. Spray with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- Start the base: Cream together butter and shortening together with a stand mixer for roughly 1 minute. Next, add in brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat again. Scrap bowl the bowl as need.
- Add in egg to the stand mixer. Beat it together until everything is combined. Then, add in vanilla and milk and beat again.
- Dump in all the dry ingredients to the stand mixer and mix until just combined (it's okay if there's are a couple of streaks of flour).
- Add-in mix-ins: Crush your pretzels by hand (or with a knife and cutting board), add them into the cookie cake batter along with the sea salt caramel truffles. Set aside a few of each for the top. Gently fold into the cookie cake dough with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. Then, press the dough into the prepared 9-inch springform pan. Gently press a few baking truffles and pretzels onto the top.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes in the pre-heated oven, until the edges turn a golden brown. Then, cool: in the pan on a cooling rack until completely cooled.
- Carefully Remove: the springform pan, then the foil from the cookie cake. Place on serving plate or platter. Make sure all foil is remove from the bottom and sides of the cookie cake.
- Decorate: as you desire with salted caramel chocolate frosting (or frosting of your choice) and top with flaky sea salt.
Expert Tips
- Foil is our friend! If there is too much browning on the top of your cookie cake, add foil to cover the top of the pan.
- Cool it completely! Make sure to let the cookie cake cool completely before you frost it. It takes about 90 minutes - 2 hours roughly for my cookie cake to completely cool. But you can make this cookie cake the night before serving, let it cool completely overnight, and frost it the next day.
- Homemade is the best! With homemade cookie cake, why not go all the way and make homemade buttercream too! Homemade tastes way better than store-bought and use basic store bought ingredients for exceptional flavor. I used about 1 & ½ cups of frosting to decorate.
Recipe FAQs
Add the frosting to a ziplock bag, snip off the corner, and use it to pipe the frosting around the edges.
I like to use both shorting and butter in my cookie cake. Shortening is made up of 100% hydrogenated vegetable oil and contains no water while butter contains 80% butterfat and 20% water. Shortening traps more air bubbles and produces a soft interior texture along with holding its shape during baking.
Technically, yes you can use just one if you have it on hand BUT for best results I do recommend both shortening and butter.
You could use a pizza pan or a 9x13 pan in a pinch you will just need to adjust your baking time.
You Might Also Like
PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page? I always appreciate feedback. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.
Salted Caramel Chocolate Pretzel Cookie Cake
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Hand Mixer
Ingredients
- ¼ cup shortening, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 egg
- ⅜ cup granulated sugar
- ⅜ cup brown sugar dark, packed
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon whole milk (or heavy cream or water)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 & ⅜ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup Nestle Toll House Sea Salt Caramel Baking Truffles
- 1 cup mini pretzels
- 1.5 cups salted caramel chocolate frosting (or frosting of your choice)
- flaky sea salt, optional
Instructions
- Line and pre-heat: Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Line a 9-inch springform pan with aluminum foil. Use 4 pieces. 1 square for the bottom and then 3 smaller ones that I used on the side. Then "lock-in" the foil with the springform. Spray with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- Start the base: Cream together butter and shortening together with a stand mixer for roughly 1 minute. Next, add in brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat again. Scrap bowl the bowl as need.
- Add in egg to the stand mixer. Beat it together until everything is combined. Then, add in vanilla and milk and beat again.
- Dump in all the dry ingredients to the stand mixer and mix until just combined (it's okay if there's are a couple of streaks of flour).
- Add-in mix-ins: Crush your pretzels by hand (or with a knife and cutting board), add them into the cookie cake batter along with the sea salt caramel truffles. Set aside a few of each for the top. Gently fold into the cookie cake dough with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. Then, press the dough into the prepared 9-inch springform pan. Gently press a few baking truffles and pretzels onto the top.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes in the pre-heated oven, until the edges turn a golden brown. Then, cool: in the pan on a cooling rack until completely cooled.
- Carefully Remove: the springform pan, then the foil from the cookie cake. Place on serving plate or platter. Make sure all foil is remove from the bottom and sides of the cookie cake.
- Decorate: as you desire with salted caramel chocolate frosting (or frosting of your choice) and top with flaky sea salt.
Notes
Recipe Tips
- Make sure to let the cookie cake cool completely before you frost it. It takes about 1 hour and minutes - 2 hours roughly for my cookie cake to completely cool. But, you can make this cookie cake the night before serving, let it cool completely overnight, and frost it the next day.
- If it begins to brown too quickly on top, place a piece of foil over it until it’s finished baking.
- Don’t have a piping bag or piping tips? Add the frosting to a ziplock bag, snip off the corner, and use it to pipe the frosting around the edges.
- How to store cookie cake? If you somehow have leftovers, store the cookie cake at room temperature in an airtight container.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!