Salted Chocolate Granola Cookies

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One of my favorite things in the world is salty-sweet combo. Popcorn and M&M's, anyone? These cookies are the perfect combo with pretzels, pecans, chocolate chips and wait for it...granola. So good, so crunchy AND soft. And what is a cookie without milk? These can definitely stand on their own but then I wouldn't get to drink from my fun stripy straws!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 3/4 sticks (7 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature (NOTE: I let my butter set out at room temperature for about an hour and a half)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup granola (or other cereal)
• 1/2 cup crushed salted pretzel pieces (or other salty snack food)
  (I put some pretzel sticks in a plastic bag and crushed them with a rolling pin)
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or other nuts, optional
  (If you don't use nuts, you may want to add more cereal or chocolate to compensate.)

Directions:

1. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl and set aside.
2. In a second, large bowl, beat butter (make sure your butter is room temperature!), and sugars at medium-low speed until just combined, about 20 seconds. Increase speed to medium and continue to beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute longer. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula.
3. Add egg and vanilla and beat on medium-low until fully and incorporated for about 30 seconds or so. Scrape down bowl again.
4. Add flour mixture and mix on low until just incorporated and smooth.
5. Using a large spoon, gradually add granola, pretzels, chocolate and nuts, and mix until well incorporated, ensuring that no flour pockets remain and ingredients are evenly distributed. 
6. Scoop dough into balls, each about 1 1/2 tablespoons, then roll between palms into balls. Place cookies on baking sheets, lined with parchment paper, spacing them about 2 1/2 inches apart, 8-10 per sheet and freeze for 15-20 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 
8. Remove cookies from freezer and bake one sheet at a time until cookies are golden brown, 13 to 16 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through.
9. Let cookies cool completely before then move to wire cooling rack.

NOTES: There's definitely a technique to making and baking cookies from scratch. Cookies can turn out too fluffy, too flat, too dry, too hard and so on. Once cookies have cooled, I find that storing them in an airtight container with a fresh piece of bread, keeps them soft and moist. 

For more information on cookie making and troubleshooting, here is a great link on tips and adjustments you can make to get the best cookies.

Photography by Jonathan Stiers ©2015 | Recipe from Food52