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Vanilla Pretzel Cookies

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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! www.savingdessert.com

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!  Here we go!  Let the holiday baking begin 🙂  Did you get up before dawn and go out with the masses to do all your holiday shopping?  Or did you stay home and put up your Christmas tree?  I’m decorating and staying in!  I’m more of a cyber Monday kind-of shopper anyway.  And why leave the warm house to battle crazy shoppers when there’s leftover turkey to be eaten?

Vanilla Pretzel Cookies ~ a crisp little butter cookie loaded with vanilla beans and topped with sparkly coarse sugar in a fun festive shape!

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 so 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.

Vanilla Pretzel Cookies ~ a crisp little butter cookie loaded with vanilla beans and topped with sparkly coarse sugar in a fun festive shape!

This recipe starts with a fascinating ingredient!

These Vanilla Pretzel Cookies are adapted from a recipe 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.

Vanilla Pretzel Cookies ~ a crisp little butter cookie loaded with vanilla beans and topped with sparkly coarse sugar in a fun festive shape!

The dough is a dream to work with and these little pretzel shapes are super easy to make.

Can’t you just picture a tin of these cookies wrapped up with a bow for your favorite neighbor, boss or best friend?  So fun and super delicious!

Thanks for PINNING!

A plate filled with vanilla pretzel cookies

4.75 from 4 votes

Vanilla Pretzel Cookies

Prep Time: 45 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 1 hr
Yield: 60 cookies
Course: Dessert
Author: Tricia
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A crisp little butter cookie loaded with vanilla beans and topped with sparkly coarse sugar in a fun festive shape!

Ingredients

  • 1 large egg
  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • â…“ cup granulated sugar (heaping)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoons vanilla bean paste
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 large egg white, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon cold water
  • ¼ 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 ¾ 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 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  • Using a large thin knife (chef's knife), slice the dough into ¼ 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 information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition

Calories: 38kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 0.5g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 12mg | Potassium: 6mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 62IU | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 0.2mg

Here’s one of our favorite kitchen tools and an essential ingredient used in this recipe:  (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:

Happy shopping, decorating, baking and whatever else you’re up to this weekend!  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Tricia

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43 Comments

  1. Kathy says

    4 stars
    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.

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Carol – Perhaps you missed one of the steps. If you make the dough and bring it together in a cohesive mass, then divide that in two, you should then roll each into a 6″ log. From there you refrigerate the dough and then follow the directions in STEP 6: “Using a large thin knife (chef’s knife), slice the dough into ¼ 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.” Maybe the math got messed up – if you have a 6-inch long and cut it into 1/4″ slices, that would be four slices per inch x 6 inches = 24 discs out of each 6-inch log. So 24×2=48 cookies. Hope that helps.

      reply to this comment >

  3. Therese says

    This recipe looks soon good.
    One question. Why is the butter measurement in tbsp? Seems strange and a bit tedious to measure butter out this way rather than the usual 1/4 cup, 1/2 cup or using weight( grams) measurement etc…

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Therese – in the United States we often break measurements down to as little as possible in case you would like to half or double a recipe. Butter, in particular, is packaged in sticks and each stick is marked with lines at each tablespoon. One stick of butter equals 8 tablespoons or 1/2 cup. You don’t have to scoop the butter into a tablespoon 10 or 12 times, you just use one stick of butter plus the additional tablespoons necessary to make up the difference. You can use a knife and cut the stick of butter, directly through the paper. Hope that explains it a little better. For this delicious recipe you will need 1 stick of butter plus 2 tablespoons. That is 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons or 1/8 cup. Measuring by the amount of tablespoons seemed the best choice in this recipe. Hope you’ll give them a try – they are amazing and so buttery and crisp. An absolute favorite in our family!

      reply to this comment >

  4. GiGi Eats says

    Holy wow! I have, I think, had something like this in the past, but man, it’s been a longtime… Vanilla is my favorite flavor ever! You’re lucky I am not in your kitchen because you would not have any of these left after about 3 minutes.

    reply to this comment >

  7. Susan says

    I actually went out Friday to make a return. Bad idea! The place was a mob scene. Lesson learned 🙂 I was surprised at how many people still love to shop in stores. I’m more of a cyber gal myself AND I love a simple, buttery cookie! These look wonderful!

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Thank you Susan – they are great little cookies and so simple. I would have thought Black Friday shopping would diminish with the availability of all thing internet! Sorry you had to experience the fun – haha. Happy baking and have a great week Susan! Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving.

      reply to this comment >

  9. Monica says

    Woah, Tricia! Lovely, lovely…that first photo with all the treats you’re going to share is like a winter wonderland of cookies. It looks very dreamy and beautiful! : ) I’m glad you stayed home to bake for us. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving – we went on a little road trip but I’m back and ready to see what’s baking! And I love these pretzel cookies to start! I’ve always wanted to make pretzel shape cookies and to mimic the ones in the blue tins. I have heard of this recipe with the egg yolk and I’m so glad to know from a trusted source (you!) that it works. Great bake and look forward to seeing more of the rest!

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Welcome back Monica! I am very excited to see what you’re baking this year. You are going to love these pretzel cookies and they really are easy to make. The dough is just dreamy to work with. I was thrilled with the amazing flavor and perfect texture. Enjoy and thank you so much!

      reply to this comment >

  11. Dom says

    they are adorable! I love the sound of that dough and i’m a dough kinda guy so I will be making these… your description of the preparation for Christmas makes me yearn for a wonderful old-fashioned christmas… which I am having! Can’t wait!

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Connie. I actually froze a bunch of these cookies wrapped in plastic wrap, then in an airtight container. They were shipped to a dear friend and arrived thawed and delicious. These are great for a pack and ship cookie. Not too delicate and not at all messy. Hope you enjoy! Thanks 🙂

      reply to this comment >

  13. Wendy says

    These cookies are lovely! How pretty they would look on a platter, outshining all of the boring round cookies. 😉 I’ve made chocolate pretzel cookies, but it’s the vanilla ones I remember from the tins of butter cookies from my childhood. I am excited to try these. The cooked egg yolk is new to me and so intriguing!

    reply to this comment >

  15. Gerlinde @Sunnycovechef says

    Tricia , I love this cute little pretzel cookies. I am going to pin them and make them soon. I have never used vanilla paste but I am seeing it in a lot of recipes. Where to you get yours? Could you substitute vanilla seeds from vanilla beans? No shopping for me, I am baking a Linzer Torte for my friends and my next blog post.

    reply to this comment >

    • Tricia Buice says

      Hi Gerlinde – vanilla extract is fine or even a combination of extract and beans. The paste is so popular now, it’s easy to find in the grocery store right next to the extracts. I love baking with it. Can’t wait to see your Linzer Torte – it sounds lovely!

      reply to this comment >

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