These salted caramel chocolate chip cookies are soft, chewy, and filled with melted caramel and finished with sea salt for a sweet and salty combination in every bite!
If you love chocolate chip cookie recipes, try mini chocolate chip cookies, hocolate chip cookies with sprinkles or copycat Levain cookies, too.
Table of Contents
The Best Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
Just when you’ve had the best chocolate chip cookies, enter salted caramel chocolate chip cookies. They’re soft like chocolate chip pudding cookies and cake mix chocolate chip cookies, but with a melted caramel in the middle and flaked sea salt on top!
This recipe comes from my friend Maria (Two Peas & Their Pod) new cookbook, which is filled with so many easy and yummy recipes!
Why This Recipe Works
- Ready in under 30 minutes. Using basic pantry staples plus the chocolate chips and caramel candies means you can whip these up on a whim.
- An indulgent treat. Just like brown butter makes brown butter chocolate chip cookies extra decadent, the caramel center makes these above average, too!
Chocolate Chip Caramel Cookies Ingredients
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Cornstarch: This is what helps keeps the cookies nice and chewy.
- Unsalted butter: I use unsalted to control the amount of salt I can add without the cookies being too salty. If using salted butter, omit any extra salt in the cookie dough.
- Light brown sugar: I use both white and brown sugar, but the brown sugar needs to be packed into the measuring cup to make sure you’re using the required amount.
- Large egg: Bring it to room temperature with the butter so all ingredients are starting at the same temperature for even baking.
- Chocolate chips: Semi-sweet chocolate chips are the perfect amount of sweetness for me. Use milk chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips if you prefer.
- Soft caramels: Werther’s soft caramels or Trader Joe’s fleur de sel caramels are my picks, but use whatever brand you like, as long as they’re soft and chewy.
- Flaky sea salt: Sprinkle on top for a beautiful finish.
- You’ll also need: All purpose flour, baking soda, salt, granulated white sugar, vanilla extract
How to Make Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and both sugars. Add egg and vanilla, beat to combine. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk dry ingredients. Combine flour mixture with wet ingredients, then stir in chocolate chips.
Scoop out cookie dough with a large cookie scoop and roll it into a ball. Place a piece of caramel in the center then wrap dough around the candy.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle with sea salt.
Tips and Variations
- Room temperature eggs and butter not only help with thorough mixing but also ensure the cookies bake evenly.
- Always line cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. It’ll help prevent cookies from spreading too much.
- Go the extra step and use my homemade caramel recipe or microwave caramel recipe.
- Swap semi-sweet chocolate chips with white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, or whatever chips or chocolate chunks you like.
- For presentation, press a few extra chocolate chips on top right out of the oven or add a rolo to the center of the caramel cookies recipe.
- The cookies will still be soft just out of the oven. They’ll continue to set as they cool.
More desserts with caramel include salted caramel butter bars, coconut caramel cookies, and Twix cookies.
More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes
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Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter , at room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar , packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 9 soft caramels , cut in half
- flaky sea salt , for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until smooth.
- Gradually add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
- Using a large cookie scoop (or about 2 Tablespoons), spoon dough into hand and roll into a ball. Slightly flatten the the ball with the palm of your hand. Place a piece of caramel in the center of the dough and wrap the cookie dough around the caramel. Make sure the caramel is completely covered by dough. Place on prepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, until slightly browned around the edges.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Let set on the pan 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
FAQs
They don’t! However, if you’re getting ahead, you certainly can keep the dough in the fridge for up to 72 hours until you’re ready to bake it.
Cookies can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 days. Make sure they’re covered in an airtight container so they don’t dry out.
You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Yes, this is a great way to have freshly baked cookies later on!
Flash-freeze the dough balls until they’re solid. Do this on a baking sheet. Then, transfer them to a freezer bag and freeze them for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen and add an extra minute or so in the oven.
Categorized as: American, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Christmas, Cookies, Desserts, Kid-Friendly, Nut-Free, Reader Favorites
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
So delicious! Turned out perfect! – Recipe tester
Salted caramel is always a win, so glad you loved them!
These salted caramel chocolate chip cookies are the best! Love the hint of salt, they’re a perfect combination of sweet and salty!
This is one, gooey cookie and I love it!! I love chocolate & caramel together! The caramel chunks take a regular chocolate chip cookie to a whole new level!
Cannot get over how delicious these cookies were. The salt really added such a fun element. Cannot wait to make these again!
This sweet and salty cookie hits the tastebuds just right! These didn’t last long in the house!