Strawberry Pretzel Pie Cookies

A closeup of a Strawberry Pretzel Pie Cookie decorated with creamy topping, jam, and a pretzel.

5 from 2 votes

Strawberry Pretzel Pie Cookies are a Crumbl copycat recipe that you will love! These cookies are inspired by the popular dessert, Strawberry Pretzel Pie (sometimes called a "Salad"!). They feature a soft and chewy sugar cookie base rolled in salty pretzels and are topped with a sweet whipped topping, strawberry jam, and a decorative pretzel. A delicious salty-sweet combo!

Prep Time40

Cook Time15

Cooling Time1

Total Time1 55

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: crumbl copycat recipe, crumbl recipe, pretzels in cookies, strawberry cookie recipe, strawberry cookies, strawberry pretzel pie, strawberry pretzel pie cookies, sweet and salty cookie recipe

Servings: cookies

Calories: 340kcal

Ingredients

Pretzel Cookies

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp 4 ounces
1 cup granulated sugar 7 ounces
1 large egg, room temp
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 7.5ounces
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups pretzels about 2.5 ounces

Whipped Cheesecake Style Topping

5 ounces cream cheese, softened
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed (i.e. "Cool Whip")
¾ cup strawberry jam
extra pretzels for decoration (13 pretzels, one per cookie)

Instructions

Cookies

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Crush pretzels into medium-small pieces and place in a small bowl.
In a large bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed to cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until smooth. Beat about 2 minutes until the mixture is lighter in color and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and beat until just combined.
Add the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt to the dough and mix everything together on low. Use a spatula to incorporate any remaining flour. Don't overmix.
Divide or scoop the dough into 13 cookies (I used a 3 tablespoon scoop). Gently flatten each scoop to about 3/4" tall and roll the edges in the crushed pretzels. Discard any remaining pretzels from this step.
Arrange flattened scoops on baking sheets a few inches apart and bake for 12-15 minutes or until puffed and beginning to turn golden brown on the edges. The centers will still be soft/slightly underbaked. Don't overbake.
Allow to cool for 3-5 minutes, then gently press down the centers to create a well for the whipped topping. Use the bottom of a small glass, your fingers, or a cookie scoop for this. Carefully move cookies to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Whipped Cheesecake Style Topping

Using a medium bowl and hand mixer with beaters attached, beat the softened cream cheese until perfectly smooth. Beat in the sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract until smooth.
Use a spatula to gently fold in about 1/2 cup of the thawed whipped topping until smooth. Fold in the rest of the thawed whipped topping until mixture is smooth. A lot of the fluffiness will be lost as you fold it in, so don't worry about it too much, but do try to be gentle! If topping is too thin, place in the fridge (about 30 minutes) to set up before decorating cookies.

Decorating the Cookies

Cookies must be completely cool before decorating.
Apply a small scoop of the whipped cheesecake style topping to each cookie and gently spread and swirl with a small offset spatula or a butter knife.
For a neat look I like to pipe a large swirl on with a 1A round piping tip and then just even it out with a small spatula.
Top each cookie with a swirl of jam, leaving some white edges of the whipped topping showing. Top with a pretzel!

Notes

How to Store the Cookies

You can store everything separately if you wish. Store unfrosted cookies in a airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. The whipped cheesecake style topping can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Decorated cookies can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days (I like to allow the cookies to come to room temp for 20-30 minutes before eating though!).

You may also freeze the decorated cookies. Gently wrap cookies in plastic wrap and package in freezer safe bags or containers. Freeze for 1-2 months. Flash-freezing is also a great way to freeze them.

Note that after freezing or refrigerating the cookies, the pretzels will be softer.

How to Thaw Whipped Topping

This recipe calls for thawed frozen whipped topping (Cool Whip or a similar product). This product should always be thawed in the fridge. Never thaw at room temperature as that will create a soupy texture which we do not want.

Exchange Cool Whip for Homemade Whipped Cream

If you prefer, you can exchange the Cool Whip for homemade whipped cream. You will want 1 cup whipped cream (so you'll need about 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream to whip up). After preparing whipped cream using your desired recipe, simply follow the instructions in the recipe as written.

Can I Use Homemade Strawberry Sauce?

Yes! Sounds delicious. Go ahead and use your favorite recipe--just be sure that the sauce is relatively thick so it doesn't slide off the cookie.

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