Nuts & Bolts Chocolate Chip Cookies 🍪🎄

crunchy, salty, and chocolatey—THE holiday cookie of 2024.

i had big plans to throw a huge cookie party this year. for the uninitiated, a cookie party is basically an excuse to bake an absurd amount of cookies, invite everyone you know, and spend hours swapping recipes and eating way too much sugar. it’s joyful chaos, and i was ready for it. but instead, we decided to turn our lives upside down and rescue a puppy.

in just five weeks, Frankie has taken over our hearts—and our entire lives. my living room, once my pride and joy, is now a life-sized play den for “the beast”. the couch? peed on four times in the first week and thrown up on twice. the rug? water stains, pee stains, and even a poo in the early days (a dark time for all). crate. playpen. toy box. mayhem. needless to say, a cookie party is not happening this year.

but if i had hosted one, this is the cookie i would’ve made.

in the first week of being puppy parents, Thomas left for a trip he’d planned months before, and i became a single mom overnight. i was absolutely unwell and barely had time to eat. a friend brought over “nuts & bolts,” a savory snack mix full of all my favorite cereals. i ate the entire thing in one sitting.

when it came time to dream up a holiday cookie recipe, i wanted something simple and classic with just enough of a twist to keep it exciting. because i believe in cookies that taste amazing without trying too hard. soft in the middle, crunchy on the outside, and so good they’d make it into the top three of any cookie competition.

and that, my friends, is how these cookies came to life. imagine the perfect chocolate chip cookie—soft in the middle, crispy on the edges—but now with the salty crunch of pretzels, the nutty warmth of peanuts, and a hint of cereal magic. hope you love them—they really are the best.

(the recipe video for these cookies will be uploaded to social media on 12.17)

Nuts & Bolts Chocolate Chip Cookies

(full recipe, grocery list, and step-by-step pictures below)

ingredients

• 1 stick (114g) salted butter, softened (or browned and cooled)