Peanut Butter, Pretzel and Brownie Thumbprint Cookies

peanutpretzelbrowniecookie-41

Okay, I’m sorry for doing this. For making a cookie with such a long name, for rolling cookie dough in pretzels, for putting brownie batter in a cookie. But these things had to happen in order to make the best thumbprint cookies on this planet.

Crunchy, salty, chocolaty, gooey, chewy. Incredible. I don’t know why people don’t put brownie batter in their cookies all the time, it should be a new rule. Two desserts in one bite = less time spent having to choose what to make + more time to go and paint your nails and make a cup of tea!

Also, whilst you’re reading this, I might as well tell you, the recipe might make a little more brownie batter than you’ll need, just enough for say 1 brownie…you know, just for you…and maybe you’ll want to sprinkle any left over crushed pretzels on top of the batter before baking it for say, 7-10 minutes in the already hot oven.



Peanut Butter, Pretzel and Brownie Thumbprint Cookies
Makes 24 smallish cookies

1 cup smooth peanut butter
3/4 cup granualted sugar
1 egg

about 1/2 cup (125ml) of crushed pretzels
white sugar

Brownie Filling
1 oz (28g) bittersweet baking chocolate
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup (2 oz / 55g) white sugar
1/2 egg
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp flour

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and line a cookie tray with baking paper.
Start making your brownie filling by melting the chocolate and the 2 tbsp of butter together in a small saucepan on the stove or in a small bowl in the microwave. Stir in the 1/4 cup of white sugar and set aside.

Now make the cookie dough: In a medium bowl, cream together the peanut butter and sugar. Mix in the egg until you get a smooth dough.

Put the crushed pretzels with the fleur de sel in a shallow bowl. Put a handful of white sugar in a separate shallow bowl.

Take rounded teaspoons of cookie dough and roll into balls. Roll each ball firmly in the crushed pretzel mixture, then in the sugar and place on the lined cookie tray. Repeat until you’ve used all the cookie dough.

Using the end of the handle of a wooden spoon / the end of a sharpie, make a deep indentation in each ball of cookie dough. Bake for 5 minutes.

Whilst the cookies bake, beat the 1/2 egg, vanilla and flour into the chocolate mixture you made earlier.
After the 5 minutes, take the cookies out of the oven, use the wooden spoon handle / sharpie to re-indent the cookies and then fill the indentations with brownie batter.

Return the cookies to the oven for 4-5 minutes, when the brownie batter should be set on top but still slightly liquidy. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack, and let ’em cool (but make sure you eat one when it’s still warm and extra gooey!)

BONUS! Wait! Don’t throw that leftover brownie batter out, bake it into a single serving brownie! Put a muffin liner in a small cake / tartlet tin or ramekin, and fill with brownie batter. Top with some leftover pretzel crumbs and bake for 7-10 minutes in the oven.

20 thoughts on “Peanut Butter, Pretzel and Brownie Thumbprint Cookies”

  1. I’m thinking your brownie filling would be absolutely perfect in the cookie called “Fudge Puddles” – the cookie part is a peanut butter mixture baked in a mini-cupcake tin. Normally, I make a chocolate peanut butter ganache for the filling once the cookie is cooked but it is so rich, you can’t eat much. This sounds like the perfect solution to that problem! Beautiful pics!

  2. My little girl loves thumbprint cookies, because of the joy and fun making them. We would love to have fun in the kitchen with this recipe. Thank you for sharing!

  3. These cookies look so so good – all of my favorite flavor combinations! You can definitely never go wrong with a single serving brownie! Lovely pictures, too.

  4. They look great! Inside-out peanut butter cup cookies…
    Thank you for posting this creative recipe.
    I tried to make them, but somehow they stayed raw inside, no matter how long I baked them.
    I checked one cookie at a time, after letting them cool slightly. Since it seemed underbaked inside, I added a couple more minutes, then checked again. The top seemed baked, but they just wouldn’t bake inside.
    I would really like to try again, and was wondering if you may be able to offer some advice.
    Thank you!

    • Thanks! That’s so strange! You did exactly what I would have done by putting them back into the oven, maybe your oven runs a little cooler than mine. You could try increasing the temperature to 375 or 380 F and baking them again; The brownie batter should end up quite fudgy, but the cookies should be firm. Hope this helps 🙂

  5. Hi Izy,
    Thank you! I’ll increase the oven temperature, and see how it goes.
    Actually, I had no trouble with the brownie batter at all. It was pretty set right from the start. And I liked their look and the combination, anyway…
    It really is a great idea! Have you tried it with plain thumbprint cookies as well?
    Thanks, again!

    • no problem, let me know how they go! Thanks, I haven’t before, these were the first thumbprint cookies I ever made 🙂

  6. What type of peanut butter did you use? I’ve tried using natural when the recipe called for jif and it came out too dry. Thanks!

    • I used skippy smooth peanut butter, the peanut butter cookies themselves aren’t chewy, they’re more like shortbread, texture-wise 🙂

  7. Hi! These cookies seem heavenly. I would really, really, REALLY like to bake them, but I’m always afraid of these measurements because I’m never sure if I converted them correctly. I know butter in grams, but these “oz” and “cup” things confuse me. 🙁 Could you help me please? Pretty please? With chocolate on top? :))

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