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Vanilla Pretzel Cookies ~ a crisp little butter cookie loaded with vanilla beans and topped with sparkly coarse sugar in a fun festive shape!
Ho ho ho! ย Here we go! ย Let the holiday baking begin ๐ ย Did you get up before dawn and goย out with the masses to doย all your holiday shopping? ย Or did youย stay homeย and put up your Christmas tree? ย I’m decorating and staying in! ย I’m more of a cyber Monday kind-of shopper anyway. ย And why leave the warm house to battle crazy shoppers when there’s leftover turkey to be eaten?
We’ve been baking up a storm!
I started baking a little early this year and have four new cookie recipes to share. We’re starting with these Vanilla Pretzel Cookies which are soย cute and fun to make! The dough freezes well for up to 2 weeks, then bake when ready to share.
These are the kind of cookies everyone loves. They’re not messy, gooey or over the top sweet, they travel well and have a nice crunch without being dry.
Pictured above (top left) Vanilla Pretzel Cookies, Roczki (or Kolacky), White Chocolate Peppermint Tuile Cigars, Italian Christmas Fig Cookies, and Milk Chocolate Pecan Tuile Cigars.
This recipe starts with a fascinating ingredient!
These Vanilla Pretzel Cookies areย adapted from a recipeย by America’s Test Kitchen. The thing that fascinated me most about this recipe, is that it’s made with a hard boiled egg yolk instead of raw.
Apparently this is a traditional French ingredient /method which helps eliminate excess moisture thus giving the cookies the perfect sandy texture.
The dough is a dream to work with and these little pretzel shapes are super easy to make.
Can’t you just pictureย a tin of these cookies wrapped up with a bow for your favorite neighbor, boss or best friend? ย So funย and super delicious!
Thanks for PINNING!
Vanilla Pretzel Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- โ cup granulated sugar (heaping)
- ยผ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoons vanilla bean paste
- 1 ยฝ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg white, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon cold water
- ยผ cup coarse white sugar such as turbinado. I used Organic White Sugar in the Raw
Instructions
- Place the egg in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat then remove from the heat, cover and rest for 10 minutes. Fill a small bowl with ice water and set aside. Remove the egg from the pan and place in the ice water bath. Allow the egg to cool for 5 minutes. Crack and remove the peel. Remove the yolk and discard the white. Press the yolk through a fine-mesh strainer into the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Fit the stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Add the butter, granulated sugar, and salt to the cooked egg yolk. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for another minute.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla bean paste and mix until blended. Add the flour and mix on low speed just until combined. With a rubber spatula, press the dough together in a cohesive mass.
- Divide the dough in half and roll each piece into a log 6-inches long. The diameter should be about 1 ยพ inches. Wrap each log in parchment paper and twist the ends to seal. Chill the dough for 30 minutes. The dough will not be hard but firm enough to handle without being sticky.
- Preheat oven to 350ยฐF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Using a large thin knife (chef's knife), slice the dough into ยผ inch thick rounds. Separate each of the rounds on the parchment paper. Roll each disc of dough into a ball, then roll into 6 inch long ropes. Form each rope into the pretzel shape and place 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the egg white mixture over the tops of each cookie, then sprinkle with the coarse sugar.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until the centers are pale golden brown and the edges slightly darker. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool (or if using a rimless baking sheet, slide the parchment with cookies onto the cooling rack) Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Recipe Notes
- Adapted from a recipe by America's Test Kitchen
- Freeze these cookies for up to 60 days. They ship very well too!
Nutrition
Here’s one of our favorite kitchen tools and an essential ingredient used inย this recipe: ย (each photo is clickable)
This Sugar in the Raw is readily available in larger grocery stores. If you’ve never tried one I highly encourage you to pick up one of these inexpensive Airbake cookie sheets. We love the way it bakes!
*Saving Room for Dessert is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program ~ I earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you, which I use to pay for web hosting and services for this blog. Thanks for supporting SRFD!
Finally, here are a few more cookies recipes you might like:
- Raspberry Almond Shortbread Thumbprints
- Almond Butter Sticks
- Spicy Molasses Cookies ~ from Seasons & Suppers
- Holiday Sugar Cookies and DIY Colored Sugar ~ from The View from Great Island
Happy shopping, decorating, baking and whatever else you’re up to this weekend! ย Thanks so much for stopping by!
Tricia
Katie
Ok I’m slightly confused about the recipe. You mentioned to boil the egg and then remove the yolk and discard of the whites, but also add in beaten egg WHITES. Wouldn’t it just be easier if you seperated the yolks FROM the whites and then beat the same whites from the same egg? I mean I get people have their own types of recipes and ways to bake, but I have never seen this type of method especially considering my mom also makes these cookies and she just adds in a regular egg and thats it.
Tricia Buice
Hi Katie. Thanks for the question. The boiled egg yolk is pressed through a fine mesh strainer then added to the cookie dough. The beaten egg white is for brushing on the cookies before baking to help the sugar coating adhere. The method of adding a boiled egg yolk helps give these cookies the sandy butter cookie texture we were looking for. The recipe was adapted from America’s Test Kitchen and is well tested and reviewed. Hope you’ll give it a try. Something new and different!
Jen
Thank you for the great recipe! I made them into bunnies for Easter! I wish I could share a picture.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Jen! I wish I could see what the bunnies looked like. If you have instagram, post them there and tag us. What a terrific idea. Hope you had a blessed Easter. Thanks again.
Kathy
These cookies have a wonderful flavor do to the vanilla bean. I would have rated a 5 star but the amount they make was way off they stated 60 but really only get about 38. Definitely double the recipe they will go fast.
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Kathy!