Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies

This post is a little delayed but here goes... I worked Thanksgiving and wanted to bring some treats for my coworkers.  I made some pumpkin oatmeal cookies and tried to make some peanut bars (which I didn't like enough to bring to work).  I wanted a second cookie.  I saw these and although not very seasonal seemed novel enough to try.  They were a pretty big hit at work and were consumed much more quickly than the oatmeal cookies.

Here is the original Pin:

Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies

Another basic cookie recipe... wet ingredients in the mixer, dry ingredients added, then chunky parts added at end.  I decided to go with all chocolate chips instead of including peanut butter chips because... well, I didn't have any... and I had chocolate chips.  Part of the reason I made these too, is because we had a bunch of pretzels left over from our Halloween party (I know).

It helps to have a husband that is willing to do some chopping... it comes in handy in life.

                

These cookies are nice and simple, but the added crunch of the pretzels is a happy surprise.  I forgot to add the chunky salt to the top before baking them, but I bet that would make them extra tasty. I made these cookies on the small side so there would be more to go around so the baking time was on the low end of the recipe spectrum.

I highly recommend using silicone liners for all cookie baking

These cookies were quite popular at work and I think I would make them again.  I don't know why I never thought of combining chocolate and pretzels in a cookie.

Cost: This actually helped to use up some leftovers (the pretzels) so I call it a win in the cost department.

Time: Didn't take long at all.

Difficulty: Chopping pretzels is the hard part.  Get someone else to do it for you and you'll be all set.

Aesthetic Appeal: They're pretty simple and not terribly impressive looking but mine actually compare favorably to the originals.

Life Enhancement: Coworkers like cookies.  That is all.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cinnamon Cookies

Happy Thanksgiving! When I saw this Pin, I thought, what a great idea! They're pretty simple without being boring.  I thought they would be perfect cookies for bringing to work on Thanksgiving because they are a beautiful combination of the flavors of the season; pumpkin, cinnamon and oatmeal.

Here's the original Pin:

Cinnamon Oatmeal Pumpkin Cookies

With this recipe I stuck pretty close to the directions.  I sometimes play it fast and loose with savory meals, but with baking, if I make changes, I end up with the wrong texture or consistency.  It's science, I tell ya! Like many cookie recipes you start with mixing all the dry ingredients in one bowl and all the wet ingredients in another. Then you whip the two bowls into one and fold in the cinnamon chips.

When I make cookies, and especially if I'm sharing them with a group, I like to keep them small. I consequently took a minute off the baking time and they turned out perfect! I had no major mishaps to amuse you with so I'll get right down to the grading.

Overall I think that they're nice little cookies.  They're not too sweet and a very nice firm but chewy texture. I will say though, Nugget really didn't care much for them.  She kept reaching for them on the cooling rack, but would then pick them apart and feed at least half to the dog.  I think she's just more of a chocolate lover!

Cost: No more than an ordinary cookie recipe.  The only annoyance is I need to figure out what to do with the rest of the canned pumpkin before it goes south.

Time: Mix, mix, combine, plop, bake.  At about 10 minutes per cookie sheet, the whole batch took about an hour to mix and bake. Oh, and at this small size it makes almost 80 cookies... enough to share and enough to keep at home.

Difficulty: They're really pretty simple drop cookies, no extra fancy steps.

Aesthetic Appeal: They have a little bit of a festive orange tinge to them, but they're not terribly impressive to look at... but no matter, they're tasty.

Life Enhancement: I think I would definitely bake them again in the fall or winter... maybe even add them to my list for Christmas cookies.  I like making a large variety of cookie flavors for Christmas... gingerbread, peppermint, etc.  It would nicely fit into the pumpkin slot.