Chocolate Baking Dessert

Sweet and salty chocolate brownie cookies

Name: Sweet and salty chocolate brownie cookies recipe
Yield: 20
Ingredients: 190g plain flour; 35g cocoa powder; 2 1/4 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp fine salt; 450g dark (70%) chocolate, chopped; 120g unsalted butter, chopped; 4 eggs, at room temperature; 200g caster sugar; 180g brown sugar; 2 tsp vanilla bean paste; 150g pretzels, broken, plus extra, unbroken, to decorate; 100g macadamia pieces, roasted and salted; 70g white chocolate, chopped; Cooking oil spray, to grease; Salt flakes, to sprinkle

Rate now

Jump to recipe

by Lauren Eldridge

Feb 27, 2026

“Whenever I feel like a chocolate hit, I always reach for a chocolate brownie or a chewy chocolate-chip cookie. This recipe combines the best of both and has a much shorter baking time than traditional brownies. I love the addition of the pretzels for salty, biscuity pops, and the white chocolate for hits of sweetness to balance the rich cocoa flavour, but feel free to use any mix-in you like – leftover chopped Easter eggs, for example (if leftover Easter eggs are even a thing).” – Lauren Eldridge

190g plain flour
1/3 cup (35g) dark cocoa powder, sifted
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine salt
450g dark (70%) chocolate, chopped
120g unsalted butter, chopped
4 eggs, at room temperature
200g caster sugar
180g brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
150g pretzels, broken, plus extra, unbroken, to decorate
100g macadamia pieces, roasted and salted
70g white chocolate, chopped
Cooking oil spray, to grease
Salt flakes, to sprinkle

Method

1.

Preheat oven to 190°C/170°C fan-forced and line 3 baking trays with baking paper.
2.

Whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder and ½ tsp fine salt in a medium bowl.
3.

Place dark chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (don’t let base of bowl touch the water). Stir until melted and combined. Remove from heat. Set aside to cool slightly.
4.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs, sugars and vanilla on medium speed for 5 minutes, or until pale and doubled in volume. Reduce speed to low and beat in melted chocolate mixture for 1 minute. Add flour mixture and mix on low speed for 20 seconds until combined. Fold in broken pretzels, macadamias and white chocolate.
5.

Using a large ice cream scoop greased lightly with cooking oil spray, scoop the dough onto the prepared trays to make 20 cookies, leaving a 4cm space between each. Flatten slightly and press extra pretzels into the top of each cookie.
6.

Bake cookies for 10 minutes. Rotate and turn the trays halfway through baking to ensure even cooking. Cookies should be set on the outside but slightly soft in the middle. Remove from oven and sprinkle with salt flakes. Stand on trays for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.