I seriously put my foot in these salted caramel chocolate chip cookies when I developed them, boos. They’re a sweet tribute to all those days I spent baking cookies in Big Mama’s Mississippi kitchen. I use my tricks of the trade to keep the dough chewy, then add a gooey caramel surprise in the middle of each chocolate chip cookie and a healthy sprinkle of flaky salt on top. Get into these babies, y’all!
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Video Tutorial
How to Make Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
These step-by-step photos show how to make cookies with caramel and chocolate, but be sure to check the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and detailed instructions. Skip to the → Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel Cookies Recipe
1. Cream the butter and sugars, then add the eggs and vanilla
Beat the butter with both sugars on high until light and fluffy. Add the whole egg, then the egg yolks one at a time, beating until each one is mixed in. Finish with the vanilla.
2. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients
Whisk the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together first. Turn the mixer to low and add the dry mixture in three intervals, mixing just until the last streaks of flour disappear.
3. Fold in the chocolate chips and chill the dough
Stir in the chocolate chips until they are spread throughout the dough. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour. If you can wait 2 hours, even better!
4. Stuff the cookie dough with soft caramels
Scoop the dough into tablespoon-size portions. Press an unwrapped caramel into the center of one piece, then place another piece of dough right on top.
PRO TIP: Make sure those caramels are SOFT, boos. Kraft Caramels or Werther’s Original Soft Caramels are my faves. Hard caramel candies won’t melt enough, and caramel bits won’t give you the same gooey pull.
5. Roll and seal the stuffed cookie dough balls
Roll the two pieces together into one larger ball, making sure the caramel is completely covered. Place the dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
6. Bake the caramel stuffed chocolate chip cookies
Bake until the edges are set but the centers still look a lil underdone. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt while they’re warm, then let them set on the pan before moving them.
PRO TIP: Pull these babies closer to 11 minutes for chewy caramel cookies or let them go closer to 14 for a crisper edge.
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Full Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 20 individual wrapped SOFT caramels make sure they are soft!
- Sea salt for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder and baking soda and put aside.
- In the bowl of your mixer, add butter and both granulated and brown sugars and cream together for 3-4 minutes on high until light and fluffy.
- Next add in eggs one at a time beating until incorporated. Then add in pure vanilla extract and beat until smooth.
- Turn down your mixer to low and add in flour mixture in three intervals beating after each addition until well-combined. Lastly, stir in chocolate chips.
- Place dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Two hours is even better.
- Scoop cookie dough in balls the size of a tablespoon. Add an unwrapped caramel to the center of 1 ball of dough then add another ball of dough to cover the caramel. Roll into one larger ball of dough
- and place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet at least 1 1/2 inches apart.
- Bake 11-14 minutes. Cookies may seem a little undone but remove from oven if you like them soft and chewy. If you want them more crisp, bake 14 minutes or longer.
- Sprinkle with sea salt and serve.
Video
Notes
How to Store
- Room Temp: Let the cookies cool completely, then store them in an airtight container in a cool, dry spot for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Freeze baked cookies in an airtight freezer bag for up to 3 months. You can also freeze the stuffed cookie dough balls for up to 3 months. Thaw the dough overnight in the fridge, then bake as directed.
- Reheating: Microwave one cookie for about 8 to 10 seconds or warm it in a 300°F oven or air fryer for 2 to 3 minutes. Let it sit for a sec before biting in because that caramel center gets hot!
Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Soften the butter, but don’t melt it. It should give a lil when you press it but still hold its shape. Greasy or melted butter will make the cookies spread.
- Measure the flour right. Fluff it, spoon it into the measuring cup, and level it off. Scooping straight from the bag can pack in too much and leave you with dry salted caramel cookies.
- Seal the caramel in completely. Make sure there aren’t any cracks or caramel peeking through the dough, or it can leak out while the cookies bake. If the dough gets too sticky while you work, pop it back in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Start every batch on a cool pan. A hot baking sheet starts melting the butter before the cookies even hit the oven, which can make them spread too much.
Recipe Help
You can, but it ain’t my fave. The chips or bits don’t soften enough to create the ooey-gooey center I love in these.
Just before baking, press 3-4 extra chocolate chips on the top of each cookie ball so that when they are baked you have visible chocolate chips on the top of each cookie.
Your butter was probably too warm, the dough didn’t chill long enough, or you put it on a hot baking sheet. Chill the dough for the full hour and make sure each pan is completely cool before adding the next batch.
More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Mrs. Field’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
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Amazing cookies!! My husband literally called them life changing! Thank you for this amazing recipe!!!
Hooray I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I was wondering how much cream you needed to add to the mixture? It isn’t in the ingredients list and I’m dying for these cookies right now!!
Cream means to mix in this recipe.
Making theee again for the fifth or sixth time. They are legitimately so good. Great with white chocolate chips – trying dark now!
Hooray I’m so glad you enjoy these so much Josh! They are a serious fave in my house as well.
Hi, I’m curious if this cookies are okay to send as a care package for my college daughters? It will be mail from California to Michigan.
Yes you totally can. Just make sure they are sealed tight and packaged well. The caramel may get a bit harder but she can nuke them in the microwave for a few seconds to soften them so maybe underbake them by a minute to prepare for that.
I was really unimpressed with how these turned out. The raw dough, however, tastes seriously amazing.
First of all, these came out super oily and flat. Second, your written instructions don’t state that you need to FLATTEN the caramel square, you only show it in the video. I did not watch the video (thought reading written the recipe would suffice) so imagine my surprise when I pulled 6 cookies out of the oven and they had spread everywhere with a giant, raised, un-melted caramel cube sticking out in the center. At that point, I cut the caramel cubes into pieces and dotted the dough balls with them prior to baking. That turned out much better, but the cookies were still super oily and spread everywhere. If I make them again I’m going to cut down on the butter by at least 1/4 a stick.
Hi Emily, I’m so sorry you had problems with these cookies. They are so popular on my website and I only receive rave reviews. The cookies are thick and don’t really get flat so I’m not sure what went wrong for you.
I’ve made this a few times and mine also get really flat /spread out. However I don’t really care and neither do the people who enjoy them. ^_^ They still taste fantastic even if they don’t look amazing.
I just made them today to rave reviews and and even a “best cookie I ever had”!! I only feel bad I ate a lot of the batter beforehand, otherwise they would’ve gotten more cookies ^_^