Chocolate Pretzel Shortbread
Published April 1, 2025
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1cup/225 grams unsalted butter, softened
- ½cup/100 grams light brown sugar
- ¼cup/30 grams powdered sugar
- ½teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 1¼cups/160 grams finely ground pretzels (see Tip)
- 1cup/128 grams all-purpose flour
- 1cup/170 grams bittersweet chocolate chips
- Flaky salt, for sprinkling
Nutritional analysis per serving (14 servings)
286 calories; 17 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 33 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 16 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 147 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Step 2
In a large bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, powdered sugar and salt. Mix with a wooden spoon or electric mixer on low until creamy and well combined. Add the ground pretzels and flour and stir gently to combine. When there are a few streaks of flour remaining, fold in the chocolate chips.
- Step 3
Butter and line an 8-by-8-inch metal baking pan or 9-inch round metal cake pan with parchment paper. Press the dough into an even layer in the pan. Prick the dough with a fork every few inches and sprinkle with flaky salt.
- Step 4
Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan, then slice. (Store shortbread in an airtight container for up to 1 week.)
- Grind the pretzels in a food processor until very fine and sandy. Alternatively, put them in a resealable bag and crush them with a rolling pin or mallet.
Private Notes
Comments
Stay with a metal pan for better results. I find that bake products do not cook evenly in glass. For the longest time, I used a glass baking pan and was always frustrated with the results. The middle was always mushy, and I could not understand why. Glass heat transfer doesn't interact with the batter as well as metal. I finally upped my game to metal and now all my baked goods cook evenly. The center and the edges are cooked the same.
@LaPoodella Good morning, fellow baker! You will want to read further to see that the tip referred to in the ingredient list directs you to grind pretzels in a food processor or to crush them with a rolling pin. I’m sure you will have already noticed this after a bit more coffee. :)
These were great and thankfully not too sweet. I packed thin chip pretzel chips in a blender and it worked well. Honey wheat pretzels would be good too. A double batch in a 9x13 metal pan worked just fine. I was a bit worried about adding extra salt given the salty pretzels but glad I did. My 9 year old who is sitting next to me did not like these and would like me to include her review: "these were dry and tasted too much like walnuts." No walnuts were added but opinion noted.
Irresistible! Salty/sweet/buttery goodness. I didn’t toast the crumbs and skipped the extra salt. But otherwise followed the recipe. When the shortbread came out of the oven, it looked like it wasn’t holding together well. I pressed down with the back of a spoon while still hot and that helped. I plan on using up the pretzel flour to bread chicken breasts.
I did 1.5 x the recipe in a 9x12 metal pan and it came out great. I also used 1/3 less sugar than the recipe calls for. (I used the original amount of sugar instead of 1.5x the amount of sugar.) I’m so glad I did because the chocolate chips are also sweet. I also didn’t have exactly enough ground pretzel, and the pretzels I had were gluten free. It didn’t matter, it’s still a great treat. This is a real crowd pleaser.
I only had a glass making dish so I reduced the heat to 325 and baked it an extra 5ish minutes. It came out perfect!