The Salty Pantry Snack That'll Kick Your Cookies Up Several Notches

Who doesn't love a good chocolate chip cookie? From the warm batches made with grandma's love, to the kinda dry, kinda bland, kinda crumbly Chips Ahoy, most of us can look back on our lives and say we've had largely pleasant experiences with this humble sweet treat. And while there's something to be said about perfecting a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe, there's also merit in a chocolate chip cookie's sheer versatility. You can use countless ingredients to jazz your cookie up, from salt and dried fruits to adding bacon for a savory, umami kick.

Pretzels are one ingredient that's often overlooked. Throwing some crushed pretzels into your homemade or store bought cookie dough delivers a pop of saltiness and some crunch that pairs nicely with an ooey-gooey cookie. There's no wrong way to do this, but you may want to stick to a pretty thick crumble. If your pretzel pieces are too small, they could soak up too much liquid from the batter and soften up. You can also toss pretzels atop your cookies for even more texture. Just be sure to stick these pretzel toppers on halfway through the baking process to make sure they don't slide off or burn.

Why do pretzels work so well in cookies, anyway? In short: balance. We're always searching for balance in our food. For people all around the world, salty-sweet is a classic contrasting flavor combination, a veritable match made in heaven. Think about sweet and sour chicken, salted caramel, and the time-honored tradition of dipping fries into your milkshake. Consider treats like these beer and pretzel caramel cookie bars. These combos rely on salty, savory flavors to balance out any overwhelmingly cloying undertones that a really sweet dessert may otherwise have. A little pinch of salt can turn a dish from too decadent to moreish in just a second.

While some chocolate chip cookie recipes swear by surprising sweet ingredients–like one calling for the addition of nutmeg to your next batch–others use ingredients that create a more rounded flavor. Take these matcha chocolate chunk cookies, where the bitterness of matcha counterbalances the sugar and matches the sweet and subdued notes of dark and milk chocolate. Next time you bust out your mixing bowls to make your favorite chocolate chip recipe, try contrasting the sugar with salty goodness, whether you use bacon, pretzel bits, or just a pinch of salt. You might just find yourself with a new favorite recipe.