Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is the cookie that everyone will remember eating and then ask you for the recipe.  If you love salty and sweet in the same bite, then these Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies are just what you need in your life.  

Slate platter of buttery, salted caramel chocolate chip cookies

SALTED CARAMEL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Just imagine a buttery chocolate chip cookie.  Pretty good, right?  

Now imagine that same buttery chocolate chip cookie that is soft and full of chocolate chips.

Think about how amazing that cookie would be with caramel sauce mixed into the dough AND even more caramel bits added with the chocolate chips.  

Now we’re talking about pure decadence, right? Luckily, they’re also pretty easy to make!

WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE NEEDED?

I love a recipe where you have most, if not all, of the ingredients already on hand.  This is one of ‘those’ recipes.

  • All-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and Kosher or sea salt
  • Light brown sugar and granulated sugar
  • Butter – I like using salted butter for these cookies, but unsalted works as well but you may need to add just a pinch more salt to the dough.  Use room temperature butter to make it easier to cream with the sugars.
  • Eggs – large and at room temperature
  • Caramel sauce – use a good quality caramel sauce.  I like Ghiradelli, but I’ve also used a gourmet goat’s milk caramel that was off the charts delicious!
  • Vanilla – Yep, you know my thoughts on vanilla…use the best you can find or afford.  I think Nielsen Massey is one of the best.
  • Semisweet chocolate chips – I like Ghiradelli.
  • Caramel bits – Kraft makes caramel bits that are perfect.  If you can’t find them, use the squares and kitchen shears to cut them into bits.
  • Flaky sea salt – You could use coarse salt, but Maldon Flaked Sea Salt works best.  It isn’t overly salty and offers just a hint of crunch.  Plus, the flakes look really pretty on top of the cookie.

Slate platter of buttery, salted caramel chocolate chip cookies

HOW DO I MAKE THE COOKIES?

This recipe follows a standard of cookie baking  You mix up dry ingredients, cream butter, and sugars together, then add eggs and flavoring, before combining the dry ingredients with the butter mixture.

But for this one, we’re going to stir in caramel sauce after adding the eggs and then combining the dry ingredients with the caramel/butter mixture.  Then by hand, fold in some chocolate chips and even more caramel bits before scooping out the dough, sprinkling them with salt, and baking.

Get the milk ready.  You’re gonna want it with these delicious cookies!

VARIATIONS

  • This cookie would be delicious with nuts – pecans, walnuts, even peanuts.  Fold them in with the caramel bits and chocolate chips.
  • Try different types of chocolate chips.  Milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips are good variations but consider adding half semisweet chocolate chips and half butterscotch chips.
  • Have we talked about adding toffee chips?  If you like lots of caramel flavor, like me, then this is an insanely good add-in.
  • Try different flavors of the caramel sauce, like salted bourbon, vanilla bean, cinnamon, or maple.
  • Since you’ll have some leftover caramel sauce after making the cookies, why not add a small dollop or smear to the top of the baked, cooled cookie?

Slate platter of buttery, salted caramel chocolate chip cookies

Still in the mood to bake?  Here are a few more cookie recipes to try:

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SALTED CARAMEL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

These salted caramel chocolate chip cookies, with caramel sauce in the dough, caramel bits, chocolate chips, and flaked sea salt are a perfect salty-sweet combination.

  • Author: Millie Brinkley
  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: Yields 48 cookies 1x
  • Category: Desserts
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

4 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 ½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon Kosher salt

1 ½ cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 sticks salted butter, room temperature

2 large eggs, room temperature

½ cup caramel sauce

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup caramel bits

2 tablespoons flaky sea salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat mat.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and Kosher salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and butter together until light and fluffy – about 4 minutes.

Add the vanilla and the eggs, one at a time, beating after each egg. 

Pour in the caramel sauce and then spoon in the flour mixture. Beat until just combined.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the caramel bits and chocolate chips by hand.

Scoop heaping tablespoons of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, 2-inches apart.

Sprinkle each cookie with a pinch of flaked sea salt.

Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, until golden brown – about 15 minutes for each baking sheet.

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