Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel Cookies

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Soft and chewy Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel Cookies combine everyone’s favorite flavors! Basic chocolate chip cookies with the addition of caramel and a sprinkle of sea salt are certain to make you swoon.

Angled view of Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel Cookies on a silvery blue background.

Everyone loves classic chocolate chip cookies. Am I right? And most everyone I know loves salted caramel.

So, why not combine the two?

That’s exactly what I did with these cookies and it turned out to be a great recipe!

I took my butterscotch toffee cookies recipe, it’s my favorite, and made minor changes to create a new cookie flavor that is absolutely fabulous.

This salted caramel cookie recipe came out soft, chewy, slightly salty, and packed full of chocolate chips.

Overhead view of Soft and chewy Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel Cookies on a grayish blue background.

The dough does need to be chilled once it’s mixed up so make sure to allow time for this. I like to make the dough the night before I plan to bake the cookies. It saves so much time by doing it this way.

Whip up the cookie dough, roll the dough into balls, and refrigerate them on a baking sheet until you’re ready to bake them. So, so easy!

Baking soda is used instead of baking powder so the cookies have the classic chocolate chip cookie texture.

I used soft caramel candies that I cut into small bits. You can also use caramel chips if you can find them in your area.

Just before baking the cookies, dip the top of the balls into coarse sea salt. The sea salt will stick to the unbaked dough and then set in place as the cookies bake.

I like this method better than sprinkling the cookies with salt after they’ve baked.

Side view of Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel Cookies on a grayish blue background.

I’m sure you are going to enjoy this recipe as much as I do. It has a wonderful sweet and salty flavor with chewy caramel.

And the best part about it is, the cookies stay soft and fresh for days!

It’s been a week since I baked them and the ones remaining in my ziplock bag are still soft and chewy.

Tips for making salted caramel chocolate chip cookies

  • Don’t overbake the cookies! Remove them from the oven once they are lightly browned around the edges but look just undercooked in the middle.
  • Chill the cookie dough. Letting the dough rest in the refrigerator overnight will meld the flavors and help to keep the cookies from spreading too much.

More cookie recipes you’ll love

  1. Chewy M&’M Cookies
  2. Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
  3. Soft Peanut Butter Cookies
Overhead view of Soft and chewy Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel Cookies on a grayish blue background.
4.49 from 105 votes

Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel Cookies

Soft and chewy Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel Cookies combine everyone’s favorite flavors! Basic chocolate chip cookies with the addition of caramel and a sprinkle of sea salt are certain to make you swoon. Made with basic cookie ingredients, this recipe comes together rather fast. The dough does require chilling, so time should be allotted for that. But the wait is so worth the reward!
Prep Time :2 hours 20 minutes
Cook Time :12 minutes
Total Time :2 hours 32 minutes
Servings :30
Author :Jen Sobjack

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (260 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup (105 g) light brown sugar, packed
  • ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, plus 1 egg yolk
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (170 g) semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup (100 g) soft caramel candies, cut into small pieces
  • 1 – 2 tablespoons coarse sea salt

Instructions
 

  • In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt; stir with a whisk. Set aside.
  • Beat the butter and both sugar sugars together in a large bowl using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand-held mixer on low speed just until combined. Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture just until well blended. Fold in the chocolate chips and caramel pieces.
  • Roll cookie dough into 1 and ½ to 2 tablespoon sized balls and place them 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Gently press the top of each dough ball into the sea salt and return to the baking sheet. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes or until lightly brown and just under done. Cool the cookies on the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Make ahead tip

  • The cookies will keep for up to one week stored at room temperature in an airtight container. The dough can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Bring the dough to room temperature and continue with step 3, skipping the instruction to refrigerate for 2 hours.
  • Freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months. Freeze unbaked cookie dough balls for up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature and bake as directed.

Notes

  • Soft caramel candies: Avoid wether’s soft caramels as they are too soft and will melt out of the cookie. I use Kraft Classic Caramels and cut them into about 6 pieces.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookieCalories: 152kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 2gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 332mgPotassium: 68mgFiber: 1gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 110IUVitamin C: 0.03mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 1mg
*Nutrition Disclaimer
Course :Dessert
Cuisine :American
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Recipe Rating




28 Comments

  1. Wish I had read the comment about not using cut up soft caramels and to use the bits if have….. watching the caramel melt all out of the cookie in the oven now. Frustrating since the whole batch is wasted now.

    1. I find the Kraft Caramel Squares, cut into about 6 pieces, work best. They won’t melt out of the cookie. The small caramel bits tend to turn hard once melted and cooled.

      1. Thank you for this tip! We loved the taste and texture! Will try again tomorrow with the squares cut up!

  2. These taste amazing, but I was disappointed that the caramels melted out of the cookies. Next time I will us the caramel chips. The flavors are delicious!

  3. Please do try an egg substitute and share the recipe, I’ve been trying to find the perfect eggless cookie recipe and this looks really good, it would be very helpful if you could share an egg substitute for it

    1. I’m sorry, I’m not an eggless baker. There are plenty of eggless bakers/recipes online though. Just type eggless in front of the cookie recipe you’re looking for and I’m sure plenty of options will pop up.

  4. Great recipe!! These cookies are sooo delicious and also easy to make! After we made the original recipe we also made a batch of just chocolate chip without the caramel and they we’re amazing as well! This recipe is a keeper!

  5. I love love love this recipe, but does anyone else’s caramel get rock hard once finished? How do I prevent this?! I feel like im going to break a tooth! Lol

    1. You can try using caramel flavored chips instead. Ghirardelli and Hershey’s has some.

  6. Deanna Brite says:

    I made this recipe yesterday and my family loved them so much they thought i bought these at a bakery…this recipe is a keeper, thank you so much for sharing !!

  7. Jen Sobjack says:

    5 stars
    Thanks for making my recipes and sharing your experience!

  8. 5 stars
    This is my go to cookie, they freeze extremely well. If I don’t have the chips called for in the recipe, I put in butterfinger chips, or whatever I think will go well together. Never Disappointed!!