These pretzel and chocolate chip marshmallow cookies are what dreams are made of if you're a cookie monster like me. When it comes to desserts, I don't go for overly sweet ones. That's why these are the perfect cookie.
They're made with brown butter for a caramel-like flavor and salty pretzels, two ingredients that help offset the sweetness from the chocolate chips and marshmallows. They're also delightfully chewy; the perfect texture in my opinion.
These marshmallow stuffed cookies are great anytime of year. They're ooey and gooey and a fun twist to a traditional chocolate chip cookie. Bring them to the neighborhood cookout or make them for the holidays. They're great to add to a cookie tray or to leave for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. One thing I do know is that they'll be a big hit. When I make them, I have a hard time eating just one--I bet you'll have the same problem too.
If you're baking these chocolate marshmallow cookies for the holidays, you may need some more cookie recipes. I've got some great ones. Check out my Christmas pinwheels and praline pecan cookies. My vanilla whoopie pies can easily be customized by using different sprinkles. These salted caramel cookies are also fantastic. Finally, another fun treat with marshmallows is my mini s'mores pies. Now that you've got some extra ideas, let's bake these marshmallow chocolate chip cookies!
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Ingredients
Before we get started, let's gather the ingredients we need for this chocolate chip marshmallow cookies recipe:
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- salted butter
- brown sugar
- granulated sugar
- large eggs
- vanilla extract
- dark chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
- mini pretzel twists
- large marshmallows
(See recipe card for quantities.)
Instructions
Now that we've got our ingredients, it's time to get baking!
- First, brown the butter in a skillet. Remove from the skillet and let cool completely until solid again.
- Then, mix together the flour and baking soda in a medium bowl and set aside. Beat the cooled butter and sugars in a large bowl until creamy.
- Next, add the eggs to the butter mixture one at a time, beaten just until the yellow disappears after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Mix in the flour mixture until smooth.
- Stir in the chocolate chips and pretzels. Scoop the dough into 48 equal balls on a baking sheet and press into discs.
5. Top 24 of the discs with a marshmallow half. Place the remaining dough discs on top.
6. Finally, roll the dough stacks into balls completely covering the marshmallow inside. Refrigerate for 1 hour and then bake.
Hint #1: This dough is sticky. Coat your hands with cooking spray to help with the rolling process and prevent the dough from sticking to your hands.
Hint #2: These cookies are large, so I bake in batches, with about 8 cookies per pan so that they retain a round shape.
Substitutions
Need some ingredient substitution suggestions? Here are some ideas:
- Browned butter - If you don't feel like making browned butter use softened butter instead.
- Salted butter - I find that salted butter helps bring out the flavor in these cookies. You can use unsalted butter but be sure to add ¼ teaspoon kosher salt to the dough as well.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips - Use milk chocolate chips or bittersweet chocolate chips if you prefer.
- Light brown sugar - For a richer caramel flavor, use dark brown sugar instead of light brown.
- Regular marshmallows - If you only have mini marshmallows instead of large, that's okay. Stuff about 2-3 mini marshmallows in the centers of the dough.
Variations
Here are some more ways to change up this recipe:
- S'mores Cookies - Instead of pretzels, use coarsely crushed graham cracker and you'll have all of the elements of s'mores in cookie form!
- Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches - These cookies are soft and chewy enough to work as ice cream sandwiches. Spoon ice cream onto the flat sides of 12 of the cookies and top with the remaining 12 cookies, flat sides down.
- Peanut Butter Marshmallow Cookies - Use peanut butter chips instead of chocolate chips.
Equipment
Here's the equipment you'll need for this recipe:
- dry measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- paring knife
- small or medium skillet
- large mixing bowl
- medium mixing bowl
- hand mixer
- cookie scoops
- rimmed baking sheets
Storage
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Freeze leftover cookies in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Tasty Tip
For bakery-worthy cookies, I'll share a food styling tip with you: Before placing the cookies in the oven, press a few chocolate chips and pretzel pieces onto the top of each cookie dough balls and then bake.
Then, about 1-2 minutes before the cookies are done baking, add extra marshmallows to the tops of the cookies for extra gooeyness.
Frequently asked questions
Make sure the marshmallows are completely covered in dough and refrigerate the dough balls for at least an hour before baking.
Beating too much air into the cookie dough while creaming the butter and sugars can cause the cookies to rise and then collapse during baking.
You can use either, but adding baking soda makes chewy cookies (my favorite) while baking powder will make them cake-like and fluffy.
Make sure the browned butter is completely cooled (at room temperature). Melted butter will cause the cookies to spread and make them flat.
As the cookies bake, the marshmallows melt and get sticky. Allowing them to cool completely before removing them from the pan ensures that the melted marshmallows have a chance to firm up instead of sticking to the spatula or pan.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with these chocolate chip marshmallow cookies:
🍽Get the recipe
Chewy Chocolate Chip, Marshmallow, and Pretzel Cookies
Equipment
- dry measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- paring knife
- small or medium skillet
- large bowl
- medium bowl
- hand mixer
- cookie scoops
- rimmed baking sheets
Ingredients
- ¾ cup salted butter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ⅔ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup coarsely crushed mini salted pretzel twists
- 12 large marshmallows, cut in half crosswise
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Continue to cook until the mixture bubbles and the milk solids brown. Transfer the browned butter to a large bowl and let cool completely until solid but still soft. (You're aiming for softened butter texture.)
- Mix together the flour and baking soda in a medium bowl and set aside. Beat the cooled browned butter and sugars with a hand mixer until creamy.
- Add the eggs to the butter mixture one at a time, beating just until the yellow disappears after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture and beat until smooth.
- Stir in the chocolate chips and pretzels. Scoop the dough into 48 equal balls and place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Press the dough into discs.
- Top 24 of the discs with a marshmallow half. Place the remaining dough discs on top of the marshmallows.
- Roll the dough into balls completely covering the marshmallow inside. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. (Optional: Press a few extra chocolate chips and pretzel pieces into each dough ball.) Bake the cookies, in batches, 11 to 13 minutes or until golden brown. (Optional: During the last 2 minutes of baking, add a marshmallow piece to the top of the cookies.) Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool completely on the baking pans.
Recipe guidelines and test kitchen tips
When developing and testing recipes, here are some key things that I do for more success in the kitchen:
- Be sure to use dry measuring cups for things like flour, sugar, and mayonnaise and a liquid measuring cup for things like water, milk, and broth.
- When measuring dry ingredients like flour and powdered sugar that can pack down, spoon the ingredient into a dry measuring cup and level with a knife as opposed to scooping the measuring cup into the ingredient.
- I test and develop recipes using a standard electric oven and standard gas stovetop. Be aware that if you use an electric stovetop or convection oven, your bake times will be different.
- When recipes call for kosher salt, I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
Food safety
Keep these few food safety things in mind when making this recipe
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat or eggs
- Wash hands after touching raw meat or eggs
- Don't leave leftovers sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Jean says
No doubt the best cookies I ever had! Perfect for the holidays.
AshleyFreeman says
Wow! Thanks for the fantastic review!
Elizabeth says
These cookies are incredible! I loved making them with my toddler, and my family loved them. SO good!
AshleyFreeman says
Hooray! So glad they were a hit!
Kim Beaulieu says
These cookies are so delicious. Made them with the kids and everyone loved it.
AshleyFreeman says
Yay! I'm so glad to hear that!
Bernice says
This recipe was exactly like the cookies my mom used to bake me as a kid. Now, that I'm a mom, I'm thrilled to be able to make them for my kiddos with this recipe!
AshleyFreeman says
I love that Bernice!
Sonja says
Oh dear! Marshmallows, pretzels, brown butter, AND chocolate! You have created an addiction here! These are so yummy!
AshleyFreeman says
Haha! You're right--these are utterly addictive!