Simple Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies: An easy one-bowl recipe for the fall!

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These should really be called “Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies,” but that’s quite a mouthful, and is not GREAT for google searches. So, “Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies” it is, and the chocolate chunks can just be a pleasant surprise! Read on for the easy recipe for these treats and a little reflection on starting a new job as an experienced teacher.

Looking for more peanut butter-themed recipes? Check out my peanut butter chocolate chip cupcakes.

I know what I’m doing…but also I don’t know what I’m doing.

Here from google just looking for the recipe? Totally get it. Use this link or just skip to the bottom.

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This is my ninth year of teaching, and in some ways I feel like I’m totally on top of my game. Teaching notes? No problem. Big selection of effective warm ups? Check. Thoughtful repertoire selection? Got it. Well-established student relationships and optimized rehearsal culture? Nope. Not even a little bit.

As a teacher, I’ve always thrived on my relationships with my students. I love being an electives teacher; I usually get to have students multiple years, really get to know them, see them change a lot as they go from age fourteen to age eighteen, and have loads of fun singing together year after year. This year, though, I’m brand new. These kids all know each other, the other teachers, the previous teacher, and all of the invisible context of previous experience. I, on the other hand, am just feeling around in the dark. I make decisions and hope that I don’t trample on established traditions. Hoping not to crush any dreams, I have to decide how to establish better rehearsal etiquette and group dynamics. Sometimes I feel like a really well-intentioned elephant trampling through someone else’s afternoon garden party.

To top that off, I am still getting to know my students. I don’t have the energy source of the camaraderie that can only be built through time, so, I’m tired.

It’s a weird disconnect; I feel really prepared and experienced in my content area, but in a lot of other ways I feel like a first year teacher. I’ve already made some mistakes, and I’m sure I’ll make more.

However, I am still encouraged. It is clear to me that I have amazing students. They’ve been super accepting of me, and have (mostly) been really understanding as I try to find my way. All of the parents and my coworkers have been amazing, and I know that additional comfort and confidence will simply come with time.

I don’t really have a deep conclusion here. If you want some of my thoughts on how we shouldn’t equate our value as a human being with our professional success as teachers, you can read that here.

Side note before we move on to cookies: I heard a quote the other day that made me feel weepy.

“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” – Winnie the Pooh.

There’s no deep conclusion here about that either. It’s just objectively touching, and I wanted to share.

Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies: the elements.

Achieving the perfect cookie is surprisingly difficult. I love a nice chocolate chip cookie, and I always use that good old recipe that is on the back of the nestle bag, but it is problematic. A lot of times, my cookies spread too much in the oven, or the are too hard, or the don’t cook all the way through or….you get the idea.

When I was visualizing these peanut butter pretzel cookies, I wanted to try to eliminate all of those textural issues. I wanted a cookie that is the same thickness through the entire cookie, is soft and gooey on the inside, and gets a little crispy on the bottom. The solution: chill the dough. Guys, you have to follow that step and chill your cookies before popping them in the oven. If you do, they will bake perfectly and you will have a nice treat to share. If you don’t, they will probably bake imperfectly and you will still have a nice treat to share. Hey, the ingredients will still taste good. But, trust me, the hour of chilling is definitely worth your time.

The flavor combo here is obviously going to be delicious. It’s got all of the heavy hitters: salty pretzels, nutty peanut butter, delicious chocolate, and perfectly formed cookie dough. Need I say more?

I really like salt in my desserts, and if you are the same, I highly recommend a healthy sprinkle of sea salt over your finished cookies as they come out of the oven. It will really accent the pretzel flavor and provide some nice contrast to the overall sweetness.

These cookies are pretty hearty, and they stayed really nice for five whole days as I slowly worked my way through them, so they are perfect for making on a Sunday and then tucking into lunchboxes for the week. Those kids are working hard, and they deserve a sweet treat!