Slice 'N Bake Bourbon Caramel Pretzel Cookies

 Soooooo good. These were so yummy and I will totally make this again. 

• 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp bourbon, divided (optional)
• 1 tsp plus 1 Tbsp vanilla extract, divided
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus an addition 2-4 Tbsp, if needed
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup chopped pretzels
• 1 (10 oz) bag of caramels, unwrapped
• 1 Tbsp heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet or milk chocolate melted
• flaky sea salt for garnish

In a large mixing bowl cream together the butter and brown sugar. Add 2 Tbsp bourbon and 1 tsp vanilla, beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and mix until combined. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, beat until combined and the dough forms into a ball. Stir in the pretzels. If dough feels too wet, add additional flour. 

Divide dough in half. Place each ball of dough on a large piece of wax paper or plastic wrap. Shape each into a log about 8 inches long and about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap the dough up in the wax paper and place in the fridge for 2 hours, or up to 5 days. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Unwrap the dough and place it on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut the log into 1/3 inch slices with a quick forward motion. If the dough begins to crack, push it back together. Arrange the slices on the prepared cooking sheet about a 1/2 inch apart. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet. 

Meanwhile melt the caramel. Combine the caramels and cream in a saucepan over low heat. Stir occasionally, until smooth, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in either 1 Tbsp bourbon or vanilla. Spread 1-2 teaspoons of the caramel over the cooled cookies. Let set up 10-15 minutes. Drizzle the chocolate over each cookie and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. 

NOTES: I used dark brown sugar and the original recipe said I could use dark or light. The recipe also mentioned I should cook until they turn golden brown on the edges, but since mine were dark colored to start with, I couldn't tell if they were golden. *shrug* Use your best judgment. 

I did not buy a bag of caramels, but got them in the bulk section at WinCo. I definitely did not need all 10 oz I purchased. Same with the chocolate drizzle. I only used about a cup of chocolate chips, melted. Granted, looking at the original recipe photos, they quite literally covered the entire cookie with caramel and chocolate versus my drizzle. I think my drizzle was plenty. 

Serves 24

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes + chilling

Recipe from HalfBakedHarvest.com