These Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies are a salted caramel filled twist on your favorite chocolate chip cookie. They are soft and chewy with crisp edges. These salted caramel cookies feature a quick gooey caramel sauce made from Werther’s soft caramel candies, salted caramel chips and chocolate chips for the ultimate chocolate caramel cookie delight.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
Take a look around my blog and you’ll find lots of chocolate chip cookie recipes. My Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies, Bourbon Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies, Biscoff Butter Cookies, Coffee Cookies and Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies are just a few of my favorites. These quick and easy, salted caramel chocolate chip cookies are a wonderfully delicious addition to my growing collection of chocolate chip cookies. I know you’ll love this chocolate caramel cookie recipe because:
- They are quick, easy and no chill. All you need to do is make the quick salted caramel sauce and bring the butter and eggs to room temperature, mix up the salted caramel chocolate chip cookie dough and bake!
- You love anything and everything chocolate and caramel. When cooler weather comes around, its time for salted caramel everything! These easy caramel chocolate chip cookies are made using caramel chips and the easiest 2 ingredient Werther’s soft caramels carmel sauce. Basically, these chocolate chip cookies are stuffed with caramel flavor.
Ingredients
This caramel chocolate chip cookies recipe requires only a handful of pantry basics to make. Before I show you how to make these easy espresso cookies, make sure you have these ingredients ready to go!
- Easy Caramel Sauce: Werther’s soft caramels and milk
- Dry ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, baking soda and salt
- Wet Ingredients: Gather unsalted butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, chocolate chip and caramel chips for cookies.
Ingredient Substitutions
Here are my recommended substitutions to make these soft and chewy, chocolate chip caramel filled cookies:
- Werther’s Soft Caramels: This recipe was tested using Werther’s brand of soft caramels to make the quick caramel sauce. However, feel free to use a store bought or homemade salted caramel sauce to mix into the cookies.
- All purpose flour: This recipe hasn’t been tested with an alternative flour. However, if you want to make this recipe gluten free, use a good 1-1 flour and measure by weight rather than cups.
- Baking Soda: A double acting baking powder is the best substitute for baking soda. The final texture of the cookie will be different, but it will still be a delicious chocolate chip cookie! For this recipe, use 3 teaspoons (1 tbsp) baking powder in place of the baking soda.
- Unsalted Butter: You can use the same amount of salted butter as written in the recipe, but omit the added salt.
- Light Brown and Granulated Sugars: A blend of both sugars is what creates that classic chocolate chip cookie taste. This recipe hasn’t been tested using alternative sugars. However, I love using maple sugar as a refined sugar free option in my other cookie recipes. Maple sugar bakes very similarly to light brown sugar.
- Eggs: This recipe hasn’t been tested without eggs. If you make this recipe without eggs or using an egg substitute, let me know!
- Caramel Chips and Chocolate Chips: I love the caramel chips for cookies from Trader Joes. These are seasonal to that store, but you can also grab a bag of salted caramel chips from Lily’s or use a butterscotch baking chip. Semi sweet chocolate chips bring that classic chocolate chip cookie flavor, but feel free to use any chocolate chip you love.
How To Make
Let me show you how to make this quick, easy and wonderfully delicious chocolate caramel cookie recipe.
- Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Make the quick salted caramel by heating 8 Werther’s soft caramels with 5 teaspoons milk in the microwave.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together until well combined.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and salted caramel until smooth and well combined. Beat in the light brown sugar, granulated sugar until fluffy and well combined. This takes about 2-3 minutes on medium speed.
- Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.
- On low, the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Fold in the chocolate and caramel chips.
- Scoop about 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of caramel chocolate chip cookie dough onto a baking sheet about 3 inches apart. I like to use a medium cookie scoop to get perfectly portioned cookies. Place the rest of the cookie dough in the fridge to chill while the first batch of cookies bake. **This chocolate chip and caramel cookie recipe tastes the best with a brief chill time of 30-60 minutes.
- Bake the chocolate caramel cookies for 9 - 11 minutes. The edges will be set and lightly golden brown. The centers will look slightly puffed. Remove the cookies from the oven onto a cooling rack or stove top. Firmly bang the pan onto the cooling rack (or stove top). This helps to deflate the cookies quickly. Top with more chocolate and caramel chips if you like.
- After 3 minutes, transfer the cookies off the hot baking sheet and onto the cooling rack to cool to room temperature and enjoy!
How To Make Ahead, Freeze, Thaw and Store
Make Ahead
Although these chocolate chip salted caramel cookies are easy to make and come together rather quickly, they can easily be made ahead of time. To do this simply prepare the cookies according to the recipe directions through step 5 for fridge storage or step 6 for freezing cookie dough balls.
Freeze And Thaw
To freeze the cookies: Place the cookie dough balls onto a parchment lined baking sheet, place the baking sheet into the freezer and freeze until the cookie dough is frozen. Remove the baking sheet from the freezer and place the frozen cookie balls into a ziplock bag. These caramel chocolate chip cookies can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
To thaw the cookie dough: Transfer your desired amount of frozen cookie dough balls onto a lined plate or baking sheet. Allow them to thaw overnight in the fridge. Bring the cookie dough balls to room temperature before baking. The frozen cookie dough can also be baked straight from the freezer. Just make sure to add about 2 - 3 more minutes to the baking time.
Store
To store leftover cookie dough: Wrap the dough tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to one week or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
To store baked cookies: These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. For the best cookie eating experience, heat the cookies in the microwave for 20 seconds for that “fresh from the oven taste.”
M's Expert Tips
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature: This allows the cookies to mix together more evenly which requires less mixing, resulting in a soft, chewy and delicious cookie.
- Chill the cookie dough: Technically this is a no chill cookie recipe. However, with even 30 minutes of chill or rest time, you will be rewarded with chewier, more delicious caramel cookies.
- Measure the flour properly: I highly recommend using a food scale for many reasons (like less dishes to clean), but the main reason is to get perfectly measured dry ingredients every time.
- Don’t overmix the cookie dough: Always use the lowest speed on your electric mixer or mix in the dry ingredients by hand. Make sure to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
- Slightly under-bake the cookies: For cookies that are soft and chewy for days, the secret is to bake them until the edges are set and lightly golden brown. The centers will look slightly underbaked, but the cookies will continue to “bake” while on the hot cookie sheet.
- Reserve ½ cup of chocolate chips and salted caramel chips for topping the cookie dough right after baking. These cookies spread a bit while baking, so I like to put add more chocolate and salted caramel chips to the cookies after they come out of the oven rather than right before baking them.
- For the best tasting cookies the next day: The easiest way to give your cookies that “fresh from the oven” taste the next day is to microwave them for about 15-20 seconds and enjoy immediately.
FAQ's
Cookies tend to spread when there isn’t enough flour to hold the amount of fat in the cookie recipe. This recipe is designed to spread a bit, especially since the cookies aren’t chilled. However, even a brief chill time of 30-60 minutes will help with spreading.
Keeping cookies soft and chewy starts with the baking temperature. Baking at a slightly higher temperature, like 375 F (190 C) helps the cookies bake a bit faster, which means they aren’t in the hot air for as long. Slightly underbaking the cookies also keeps them soft with chewy centers. As does storing the cookies in an airtight container.
Other Caramel Cookies To Try
If you try this Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! Happy Baking! - M
Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Equipment
- 2-3 mixing bowls
- 1 whisk
- 1 medium (2 tablespoon) cookie scoop optional
- baking sheets
Ingredients
Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 2½ cups (300 g) all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¼ cup (67 g) salted caramel sauce homemade, store bought or see recipe notes
- 1¼ cups (250 g) light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs (US), room temperature
- 2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (140 g) semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup (140 g) salted caramel chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. If you are making the quick salted caramel, heat 8 Werther’s soft caramels with 5 teaspoons milk in the microwave. Stir well to combine.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together until well combined.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and salted caramel until on medium speed smooth and well combined. Beat in the light brown sugar, granulated sugar until fluffy and well combined. This takes about 2-3 minutes on medium speed.
- On medium speed, beat in the eggs and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.
- On low, mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Fold in the chocolate and caramel chips.
- Scoop about 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of caramel chocolate chip cookie dough onto a baking sheet about 3 inches apart. I like to use a medium cookie scoop to get perfectly portioned cookies. Place the rest of the cookie dough in the fridge to chill while the first batch of cookies bake.
- Bake the chocolate caramel cookies for 9 - 11 minutes. The edges will be set and lightly golden brown. The centers will look slightly puffed. Remove the cookies from the oven onto a cooling rack or stove top. Firmly bang the pan onto the cooling rack (or stove top). This helps to deflate the cookies quickly.
- Top with more chocolate and caramel chips if you like. After 3 minutes, transfer the cookies off the hot baking sheet and onto the cooling rack to cool to room temperature and enjoy!
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