Potato Chip Pretzel Cookie Bars

Sweet and salty, chewy and crunchy – these Potato Chip Pretzel Cookie Bars are the perfect one bowl, whisk by hand, crowd-pleasing party dessert.

chocolate chip cookie bars covered with crushed pretzels and potato chips.

If you love the combination of sweet and salty, these Potato Chip Pretzel Cookie Bars are about to become your new favorite dessert. They take everything great about a classic chocolate chip cookie and add an extra crunch with crushed pretzels and potato chips. The result? A chewy, buttery cookie bar packed with pockets of chocolate, bursts of salt, and a satisfying crispy texture in every bite.

I love cookie bars because they’re easier and faster than making individual cookies—no need to scoop out dough or worry about batch baking. Just press the dough into a pan, bake, and slice into squares. The mix of salty and sweet here is balanced just right, with the pretzels adding a toasted, nutty crunch and the potato chips melding into the cookie dough, enhancing the texture while adding a subtle hint of salt.

These bars are the kind of treat that disappear quickly at parties. They’re also a great way to use up the bottom of a bag of chips or pretzels. If you’ve ever found yourself with a handful of broken pretzels that are too small to dip into anything, this is the recipe for you!

While I love these potato chip pretzel cookies bars for any parties, they’re especially a favorite for football parties! Everyone loves the salty/sweet combination, and the soft cookie bar with the crunchy topping is even more irresistible.  Even if you’re not ready for some football, you’re ready to wow your guests at your football playoff party!  

side view of soft sweet and salty cookie bars.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Here’s what you need to make these cookie bars and a few ways you can switch things up:

  • Butter: Use unsalted butter or margarine for a dairy-free option.
  • Brown Sugar
  • Granulated Sugar
  • Eggs: The eggs should be at room temperature.
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Flour: Use all-purpose flour, or, for gluten-free cooke buars, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour baking mix.
  • Baking Soda
  • Salt
  • Chocolate Chips
  • Pretzels: Use thin pretzels sticks or traditional pretzel-shaped.
  • Potato Chips: Any plain, classic potato chip will work, although I prefer thick kettle-cooked chips because they add extra crunch!
  • Vegetable Oil: Any neutral oil or melted coconut oil works.
stack of four potato chip pretzel cookie bars.

How to Make Potato Chip Pretzel Cookie Bars

  1. Mix the wet ingredients. Mix the melted butter and sugars. Whisk in the eggs, followed by the vanilla extract.
  1. Add the dry ingredients. Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt until just combined.
mixing flour into cookie bar dough.
  1. Fold in the mix-ins. Gently stir in chocolate chips, crushed potato chips, and pretzels.
  1. Press into the pan. Spread the dough evenly into the prepared pan.
  1. Bake. Bake until the edges are golden brown but the center is still slightly soft. Immediately after removing from the oven, press additional pretzels and potato chips onto the surface of the cookie bars.
pretzels and potato chips pressed into the top of cookie bars.
  1. Cool and slice. Let the bars cool before slicing into squares and drizzling with chocolate and remaining pretzels and potato chips.

Keeping Pretzels and Potato Chips Crunchy

Let’s talk about the crunchy part of these potato chip pretzel cookie bars.  Or, more specifically, the lack of crunch in most pretzel-based desserts.  There are lots of cookie, brownie, and cake recipes out there with pretzels baked right in.  They’re often called “pretzel crunch bars” or something similar. Except… if you bake a pretzel in something… it’s no longer crunchy.

I know this, because I’ve tried.  Over and over.  And over again, with these – when I baked the layer of potato chips and pretzels on top.  So repeat after me: I will not bake the pretzels on top of the cookie bar.

Yes, we’re going to include some pretzels mixed into the batter for some pretzel flavor. But rather than press any pretzels on top before baking, we’re going to gently push the pretzels on top of the still-soft surface of the cookie bars when they come out of the oven. And then, because I really like crunch – we’ll put some more on top of the drizzled chocolate.  A double layer of crunch, if you will.  It’s so much better than baking the pretzels on top of the dough.

You might notice, however, that the pretzels inside the cookie bars still remain crispy. How is this possible? We can explain with my favorite subject… kitchen chemistry!

Kitchen Chemistry

Potato chips are fried at high temperatures, which removes moisture and creates a structure that resists softening. The low water content of the chips prevents them from absorbing too much moisture from the dough, allowing them to stay crisp even after baking.

cookie bar covered with potato chips, pretzels, and drizzled chocolate.

Tips and Tricks for the Best Pretzel Cookie Bars

  1. Use parchment paper for easy removal. This makes it much easier to lift the bars out of the pan and cut them evenly.
  2. Don’t overmix the dough. Overmixing can lead to tough cookie bars instead of chewy ones.
  3. Watch the baking time. The center should still look slightly soft when you take them out—they’ll continue to set as they cool.
  4. Cool completely before cutting. This helps the bars hold their shape and prevents them from falling apart.
  5. Store properly. These bars are best eaten fresh, as the pretzels and potato chips will get stale over time. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to four days.

More Sweet and Salty Dessert Recipes:

chocolate chip cookie bar covered with chocolate drizzle, pretzels, and potato chips.

Potato Chip Pretzel Cookie Bars

Yield: 20 bars
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Sweet and salty, chewy and crunchy – these potato chip pretzel cookie bars are the perfect one bowl, whisk by hand, crowd-pleasing party dessert.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup (213 grams) brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups (255 grams) chocolate chips, divided
  • 1 cup (32 grams) broken thin pretzels, divided
  • 1 cup (36 grams) crushed potato chips, divided
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 350 °F.  Line a 9×9-inch baking dish with parchment paper and lightly grease.
  2. In a large, microwave-safe mixing bowl, melt the butter.  Add in the brown sugar and granulated sugar and whisk until well combined and no lumps of sugar remain.  Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract.  Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt.
  3. Mix in 1 cup of the chocolate chips.  Gently fold 1/2 cup of the broken pretzels and 1/2 cup of the crushed potato chips.  Spread the mixture into the prepared baking dish, smoothing the top with a spatula.
  4. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.  Immediately after removing the cookie bars from the oven, press 1/2 cup of the pretzels and 1/4 cup of the potato chips along the surface.   Cool completely in the pan.
  5. Melt the remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and the vegetable oil in a microwave-safe bowl for 30 second increments, stirring well after heating, until smooth.  Drizzle the chocolate back and forth along the cookie bars. If desired, press a few additional broken pretzel pieces or crushed potato chips on top of the drizzled chocolate.

Notes

These bars are best eaten fresh, as the pretzels and potato chips will get stale over time. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to four days.

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Potato Chip Pretzel Cookie Bars: Why choose between salty and sweet when you can have both with this easy cookie bar recipe? Perfect for your next party!