Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Updated: 03/02/2022
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Trust me when I say I am going to blow your mind with these Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Like, I know my honey cookies and cinnamon roll cookies talk a big game too but I’m telling you these cookies are a total game changer!
They’re made with brown butter, soft caramels, mini semi-sweet chocolate chips and love in every bite.
You of course cannot forget the flaky sea salt (maldon is our favorite) on top!
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The salty sweet combination is one you’ll be obsessed with, I literally cannot wait for you to try these!
- Easy to make (no stand mixer required!)
- Soft and luscious
- Full of creamy, melted caramel
- Chewy and perfectly salted
- A total baking-win!
Ingredient Notes:
- Brown butter: Don’t overthink it. Brown butter is simply taking a stick of regular butter and then melting and toasting it on the stove until the milk solids turn brown. The end result is magical, nutty, heavenly brown butter. Once you start baking with brown butter you won’t be able to stop! More details down below on how to brown butter.
- Soft caramels: I found using the Werther’s Soft Caramels worked best but only if you chop them into tiny pieces. If the chunks are too large they will ooze out of the cookie! I tried making these with the caramel bits by Kraft and disliked them.
- Cake Flour: If you’ve been around my site for any length of time you know I love making my cookies with a combination of cake flour and all-purpose flour. Cake flour is finer, softer and lighter than All-Purpose Flour and I find using a mix of both types of flour results in the most perfect cookies.You can find cake flour in most grocery stores, usually on the top shelf.
- Mini Chocolate Chips: We love these cookies with the mini semi sweet chocolate chips but you can of course change it up and use whatever chocolate chips or chunks you like.
- Maldon Sea salt: A pinch on top is the perfect compliment to enhance the flavors in these salted caramel chocolate chip cookies.
- Other ingredients needed: flour ,salt, vanilla extract, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, sugar, brown sugar, eggs.
Step by Step Directions
- Brown the butter. Full details on how to brown butter can be found below and in the recipe card.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar and cooled brown butter. Then whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract.
- Fold in the flour mixture.
- Add in the chocolate chips and chopped caramel pieces.
- Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Scoop cookies onto prepared baking sheets.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 9-11 minutes.
- If the caramel has escaped from the sides of the cookies and they look misshapen, don’t worry. Place a circular cookie cutter or a circular drinking glass around one of the cookies (it should be larger than the cookie so you don’t cut off any edges) and give the cookies a spin. Swirling the cookie should help to smooth out any uneven edges and as the cookie cools you can easily pinch away any escaped caramel puddles.
- Sprinkle with sea salt on top and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Chilling dough for just 30 minutes helps to firm up the caramel pieces so they don’t ooze out of the cookie too much. A little oozing will happen but using the cookie cutter trick on the warm cookies right out of the oven easily gets that back into tip top shape! Also the dough can be a bit sticky sometimes so a little chilling is helpful!
- Freeze the cookies for up to 3 months. Allow cookies to come to room temperature since caramel will be hard.
- Bake cookies just until edges are golden brown. To keep these cookies soft and delicious, you’ll want to be sure not to over bake them. I always say slightly under-baked is best. (Baking time can also vary depending on size of cookies).
- You can make homemade cake flour if you can’t find it in stores. Homemade cake flour: 14 Tbsp. All-purpose flour and 2 Tbsp. corn starch. Mix these together and sift them twice to get them fully mixed and aerated. This will make ~1 cup flour.
How to make brown butter
It may sound intimidating, but it’s really easy, only takes a few minutes and is the backbone of these cookies. The nutty flavor compliments the caramel beautifully and I love it’s culinary use in baking so much! Let’s do it:
- Use a stainless steel skillet. This is best to easily monitor the butter’s color and gauge when the butter has browned.
- Place the unsalted butter in the cold, stainless steel skillet. Unsalted is truly best because salted butter foams more.
- Melt the butter over medium heat. Swirl the pan occasionally to help the butter melt evenly. As the butter melts, it separates into butter fat and milk solids. The milk solids will naturally sink to the bottom of the pan and begin to brown as they heat up.
- You’ll notice the butter begin to foam. This is good! The foam will begin to subside.
- Use a heat resistant spatula to continually gently stir the butter. You’ll begin to see tiny specks at the bottom of the pan, constantly stir and scrape so these don’t stick. (These are the milk solids that give brown butter its yummy flavor.)
- As soon as the butter turns chestnut brown and omits a nutty aroma, remove the pan from the heat and scrape the brown butter and all of the yummy brown bits into a heat proof bowl. It’s important to remove to a bowl immediately so the residual heat from the pan doesn’t burn the butter.
- Depending on your heat setting, this process should only take less than 10 minutes.
FAQ
Does the caramel stay soft?
Yes! Very. I am using the Wether’s soft caramels and they stay super soft for several days. The caramel will set but it’s still silky smooth in each bite.
How do I store them?
Store in an airtight container or baggie at room temperature for up to 5 days or freezer up to 3 months and allow to soften at room temperature a bit before enjoying.
Yes! I recommend rolling them into cookie dough balls first then freezing. When ready to bake, allow to come to room temperature and bake as directed.
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Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
These Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip cookies are made with nutty brown butter, filled with silky smooth caramel, mini semi-sweet chocolate chips and flaky sea salt on top. They are a chewy, easy to make, sweet and salty cookie that you’re going to fall in love with!
Ingredients
- 8 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 (4.51 oz.) package soft caramels + 2 tsp. flour
- 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup cake flour
- 1 tsp. cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- flaky sea salt
Last step! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Brown the butter: In a stainless steel skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Swirl the pan occasionally to help the butter melt evenly. The butter will begin to foam, and then the foam will begin to subside and you’ll start to see tiny specks at the bottom of the pan, stir with a heat resistant spatula or wooden spoon and constantly stir and scrape so milk solids that are browning don’t stick. (These are what give brown butter it’s yummy flavor.) As soon as the butter turns chestnut brown and omits a nutty aroma, remove the pan from the heat and scrape the brown butter and all of the delish brown bits into a heat proof bowl. It’s important to remove to a bowl immediately so the residual heat from the pan doesn’t burn the butter. Set aside & cool while you prepare the rest of the cookies.
- Unwrap the soft caramels and chop them into small pieces. It’s important they’re pretty tiny so they don’t ooze out of the cookies. Toss the chopped caramel pieces in a little flour in a small bowl to prevent the caramel from clumping together. Set aside.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl: flour, cake flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar and slightly cooled brown butter in a large mixing bowl. Then whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract until combined.
- Fold in the flour mixture.
- Add in the chocolate chips and chopped caramel pieces, fold just until combined.
- Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Using a 2 Tbsp. cookie scoop, scoop cookies onto prepared baking sheets. Or you can use your hands to roll into balls.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 9-11 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden brown and the centers look done but still gooey. Remove from the oven.
- If the caramel has escaped from the cookies a little, it’s OK! While the cookies are still warm, place a circular cookie cutter or a circular drinking glass around one of the cookies (it should be larger than the cookie so you don’t cut off any edges) and give the cookies a spin. Swirling the cookie should help to smooth out any uneven edges and as the cookie cools further you’ll be able to easily pinch away any escaped caramel puddles.
- Sprinkle the tops with sea salt and enjoy! Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Video
Notes
- Chilling dough for just 30 minutes helps to firm up the caramel pieces so they don’t ooze out of the cookie too much. A little oozing will happen but using the cookie cutter trick on the warm cookies right out of the oven easily gets that back into tip top shape! Also the dough can be a bit sticky sometimes so a little chilling is helpful!
- Freeze the cookies for up to 3 months. Allow cookies to come to room temperature since caramel will be hard.
- Bake cookies just until edges are golden brown. To keep these cookies soft and delicious, you’ll want to be sure not to over bake them. I always say slightly under-baked is best. (Baking time can also vary depending on size of cookies).
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 291kcal (15%), Carbohydrates: 36g (12%), Protein: 4g (8%), Fat: 14g (22%), Saturated Fat: 8g (50%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 53mg (18%), Sodium: 175mg (8%), Potassium: 124mg (4%), Fiber: 2g (8%), Sugar: 18g (20%), Vitamin A: 298IU (6%), Calcium: 38mg (4%), Iron: 2mg (11%)
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is automatically calculated. It should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Kroll’s Korner can’t make any guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Would caramel sauce work or do you suggest against it?
oooo I bet you could stir in some caramel sauce into the cookie dough. I am not sure how it would change the cookies/if they would spread too much since I haven’t tried this out myself but if you try it, let me know how it goes! 🙂
May try it next time! This time I stuck with the recipe. They were a hit!
These cookies are amazing! My whole family loved them. The brown butter takes it to a whole new level. Salted caramel is one of my favorite sweets, and this combo in a cookie is just divine! Worth every calorie. I love how the cookie stays soft. Nailed it!
You just made my night! So glad you loved these 🙂 thank you!
I made these cookies and they were downright delicious! The chocolate and caramel made them gooey and delicious. The sea salt on top kept them from being too sweet and it really seemed to balance the flavor. Slightly underbaking the cookies is the real secret – the cookies stayed moist and delicious. This recipe is definitely a keeper! I have made several cookies from this website, and they always turn out fantastic. These are no exception!
This review just made my day. Wow, so kind! Thank you so so much!!
These cookies are absolutely delicious – thank you for another amazing recipe!! I’ve made them a few times now and they’re always an absolute hit. The only thing I do different is I like sprinkling the salt on the cookies before baking because (at least for me) more salt sticks to the cookie!
Hi Ashley – I am so glad you enjoy them! I need to try that next time, yummm! Thank you!!
Hi there! I LOVE all of your cookie recipes and can’t wait to try this one! Do you think I can make these baseball sized? I make some of your other recipes that are BIG cookies and would like to try making these big also!
Hi Danielle! Thank you sooo so much 🙂 With the brown butter & caramel, they might not stay big and baseball like (like the Kroll’s Kookies do) but you could try. The chill time will def help keep them in the ball shape too. I hope you love these ones, we’re obsessed! xo, Tawnie
Thank you so much for getting back to me! I will give it a try and I’ll check back in and let you know how it went! ♥️
Of course! Can’t wait!
Maybe it was only adding 1/2 teaspoon of salt but these cookies lacked flavor. Have you tried the recipe with a full teaspoon of salt?
Hi Johanna. Shoot, I am so bummed you thought so. I thought the caramel with the brown butter, chocolate and flaky sea salt on top really took these cookies to flavor town USA! haha. I usually add only 1/2 tsp. salt to most of my cookie recipes but you can play around with adding more to see if that helps. I also recommend usually a pure vanilla extract for best flavor. Thank you for visiting my site and making these cookies! xo, Tawnie
This cookie is amazing🤤🤤. My new favorite! I made a batch the first day it came out. Now I have a triple batch sitting in the fridge to share with family! My husband loved them. Theres not too much caramel or chocolate. Just the right ratio. The browned butter is delicious. I’m going to try it in more recipes!
OH my goodness thank you SOOO so much!! I’m so glad. Thank you!! xo, Tawnie
Oh my holy sweet Lord Jesus in Heaven….
LOL! ily