These come up often alongside this one: Salted Pretzel Peanut Butter Cup Cookies, Cowboy Cookies, Flourless Chocolate Cookies, or Oatmeal Cookies with White Chocolate and Dried Cranberries.

Why These Sweet and Salty Cookies Work So Well

Have you tried the new Pretzel M&M’s yet? I grabbed a bag last weekend and immediately hid it from my husband so I could save them for baking. Our kitchen is still half-finished from a remodel, but Josh cleared enough space for me to get back to the oven. I mixed these Pretzel M&M Cookies using a classic chocolate chip cookie dough, then sprinkled each ball with sea salt before baking. The salt brings out the pretzel crunch inside the candy shell, and the brown sugar keeps the centers soft. That sweet-and-salty combo is exactly what I crave in a cookie.

Why You’ll Love These Pretzel M&M Cookies

The pretzel M&M’s add a crunchy texture you don’t get from regular chocolate chips, each bite has a little snap.
A sprinkle of sea salt on top doubles down on the salty side, so the sweetness never feels one-note.
The dough uses more brown sugar than white, which gives these cookies a chewy, bakery-style texture that stays soft for days.

Key Ingredients for Bakery-Style Pretzel M&M Cookies

Pretzel M&M’s, the star of the show. If you can’t find them, substitute 1 cup regular M&M’s plus 1/2 cup crushed mini pretzels. The pretzel pieces will give you a similar crunch, though the candy shell won’t be as colorful.
Sea salt, a flaky finishing salt like Maldon works best. It sticks to the dough and provides a clean salty hit that contrasts the sweet chocolate. Skip table salt here; it’s too fine and can make the cookies taste overly salty.
Light brown sugar, the extra moisture and molasses flavor in brown sugar is what makes these cookies chewy rather than cakey. Pack it firmly when measuring.

Kitchen Tools for Making Pretzel M&M Cookies

Stand mixer with paddle attachment (or a hand mixer and a large bowl), creaming the butter and sugar properly gives the cookies their structure.
Two baking sheets, you’ll need room to space the dough 2 inches apart so the cookies don’t merge.
Parchment paper or Silpat liners, these prevent sticking and help the bottoms brown evenly.
Cooling rack, transferring the cookies off the hot pan stops carryover baking and keeps the centers tender.

Tips for the Chewiest Pretzel M&M Cookies

Don’t overmix the dough once you add the flour. Stir just until you can’t see any dry streaks, then fold in the mix-ins. Overworking the dough develops too much gluten, which makes cookies tough instead of tender. If your kitchen is warm and the dough feels sticky, chill it for 20 minutes before scooping, that keeps the cookies from spreading into flat discs. Bake until the edges are just golden and the centers still look slightly underdone. They’ll set up as they cool on the rack, giving you that soft, chewy middle.

Swap the semi-sweet chocolate chips for white chocolate chips if you want a milder, creamier sweetness. For a darker flavor, use dark chocolate M&M’s instead of the pretzel version and add an extra 1/4 cup of chopped dark chocolate. If you need a gluten-free option, replace the all-purpose flour with a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour blend, the cookies will be slightly more crumbly but still delicious. You can also stir in 1/2 cup of chopped salted peanuts for even more crunch and salt.

How to Serve These Sweet and Salty Cookies

These cookies are great on their own with a cold glass of milk, but they also make fantastic ice cream sandwiches. Press a scoop of vanilla or salted caramel ice cream between two cookies and freeze for 30 minutes. For a quick dessert, crumble a cookie over a bowl of vanilla yogurt or a scoop of chocolate pudding. The salty pretzel bits and chocolate chips add texture to anything creamy.

How to Store Leftover Pretzel M&M Cookies

Keep baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Place a slice of bread in the container to help maintain softness, the cookies will absorb the bread’s moisture. Change the bread slice every other day if you’re storing them longer. Do not refrigerate; the fridge dries out cookies and makes them stale faster.

To freeze the dough, scoop heaping tablespoonfuls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until solid, about 1 hour. Transfer the frozen dough balls to a zip-top bag and keep for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes to the original bake time. For baked cookies, let them cool completely, then layer them between sheets of parchment in a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for 15 minutes or warm briefly in the microwave.

Best Ways to Reheat Pretzel M&M Cookies

For a just-baked texture, warm a cookie in a 300°F oven for 5 minutes. This re-crisps the edges without melting the chocolate chips completely. If you’re short on time, microwave a single cookie for 10 to 15 seconds, the center will turn soft and gooey, but the edges won’t be as crisp. Avoid reheating more than one cookie at a time in the microwave; they heat unevenly.

Pretzel M&M Cookies FAQs

Can I use regular M&M’s instead of pretzel M&M’s?

Yes, but you’ll lose the pretzel crunch. To keep the salty element, add 1/2 cup of crushed mini pretzels to the dough along with the regular M&M’s. The texture won’t be exactly the same, but the sweet-and-salty balance will still come through.

Why did my cookies spread too much?

Overly warm dough is the most common cause. If your butter was too soft or your kitchen is hot, the dough spreads before the structure sets. Chill the scooped dough balls for 20 minutes before baking. Also make sure your baking soda and baking powder are fresh, old leaveners can cause excess spread.

Can I make the dough ahead of time?

Absolutely. You can refrigerate the dough in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before scooping, since cold dough is harder to portion. You can also freeze the dough balls as described in the freezing section above.

Do I have to sprinkle sea salt on top?

No, but the salt is what really makes the sweet-and-salty flavor pop. If you’re watching sodium, you can skip it. The pretzel M&M’s already have some salt, so the cookies will still be slightly salty, just less pronounced.

Recipe

Pretzel M&M Cookies

You will love this sweet and salty cookie!

easyVegetarian

Servings

Snack

Course

American

Cuisine

208 kcal

Calories

Ingredients

Servings

2.5 cup all-purpose flour
0.75 tsp salt
0.75 tsp baking soda
0.25 tsp baking powder
2 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, packed

0.5 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1.5 cup pretzel M&M's
sea salt, for sprinkling

Instructions

1
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats. Set aside.
2
Whisk flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl medium bowl, set aside.
3
Cream butter and sugars together in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until smooth. About two minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.

4
On low speed, slowly add in the flour mixture until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips and pretzel M&M's.
5
Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough on prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake 10-12 minutes until cookies are slightly golden around the edges. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

Nutrition (per serving)

208kcal

Calorie breakdown

Protein7%15 kcal

Fat16%34 kcal

Carbohydrates77%160 kcal

How this was calculated — 11 of 12 ingredients matched

all-purpose flourFlour, wheat, all-purpose, enriched, bleached2196 kcal

saltSalt, table0 kcal

baking sodaLeavening agents, baking soda0 kcal

baking powderLeavening agents, baking powder, low-sodium1 kcal

light brown sugarSugars, brown912 kcal

granulated sugarSugars, granulated462 kcal

large eggsEgg, whole, raw, fresh3 kcal

vanilla extractVanilla extract43 kcal

semi sweet chocolate chipsChocolate, dark, 60-69% cacao solids1390 kcal

pretzel M&M'sPretzels, soft1217 kcal

sea saltSalt, table0 kcal

Serving size ≈ 53 g · 30 servings

Nutrition information is automatically calculated from USDA FoodData Central, so should only be used as an approximation. Actual values may vary depending on the ingredients, brands, and preparation methods used.

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Keyword: cookie, Oven Baked, sweet and salty, vegetarian

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