I love a classic chocolate chip cookie, but sometimes I want more drama in every bite - so I started stuffing my dough with caramel chips too. These Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies have chewy centers, crisp edges, and pockets of melty caramel that pull apart when you break one open. Did I mention they are swirled near the edges as well?
Here's the thing: regular chocolate chip cookies are great, but they can start to feel a little... predictable. So I took a leap of faith and folded in caramel chips right alongside the chocolate into my go-to dough. Soft and chewy in the middle, a little crisp around the edges, and gooey caramel in nearly every bite. Then I decorated the tops with flaky sea salt before they went in the oven, because that's what makes them taste like they came from a bakery case instead of my kitchen counter.
If you're into mixing chocolate chips with other flavors (I clearly am - see my whole cookies category), try my Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Cookies when fall hits, or Biscoff Chocolate Chip Cookies if you want that cozy spiced thing going on. Once you start swapping mix-ins, it's hard to go back to plain.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Soft, chewy middle with a lightly crisp edge, and caramel and chocolate in basically every bite - not just a lucky chip here and there.
- That sweet-salty pull that makes you go back for "just one more" cookie. I used the same trick in my Salted Caramel Frosted Cookies and Salted Caramel Pretzel Brownies, so clearly I have a type.
- Easy to riff on - swap mix-ins, change the flavor, make it your own.
- Dough freezes really well, so future-you can have warm cookies whenever the craving strikes.
Main Ingredients
- Unsalted butter - Provides richness, flavor, and helps create a soft, chewy texture; using softened butter makes it easier to cream with the sugars and incorporate air.
- Granulated sugar - Adds sweetness and structure, contributing to lightness and a slightly crisp edge.
- Light Brown sugar - Brings moisture, chewiness, and deep caramel notes that complement the caramel chips.
- Eggs - Bind the dough, add moisture, and help the cookies puff and set properly in the oven. We are using both an egg and an egg yolk.
- Vanilla extract or Vanilla bean paste: Both enhance the overall flavor and round out the sweetness so the cookies don't taste flat.
- Baking soda - Helps the cookies rise slightly and spread just enough, creating soft centers with lightly crisp edges.
- Salt - Balances sweetness and makes the caramel and chocolate flavors taste more pronounced.
- All-purpose flour - Provides structure; the right flour amount prevents cookies from spreading too thin while keeping the interior tender.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips - Add rich chocolate flavor and pockets of meltiness in every bite. For the chocolate chips I used the Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips.
- Caramel chips - Bring concentrated caramel flavor and chewy pockets that set these apart from standard chocolate chip cookies. U used the Trader Joe's Caramel Sea Salt Baking Chips and I really love the flavor they added to the cookies.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch is pure starch with no gluten-forming proteins, so it "dilutes" the flour and reduces gluten development, giving a more tender, soft, but chewy texture.
How to Make Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients, measurements & instructions are in the recipe card below.
1. Mix Your Dry Ingredients
The first step is to sift all the dry ingredients together into a medium sized bowl, (all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt) and then set the bowl aside.
2. Get your wet ingredients going
- In a large mixing bowl add the unsalted butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Cream the butter and sugars together on medium speed for 4 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Turn the mixer down to low and add the egg followed by the egg yolk.
- Once those are fully mixed in, add in the vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste and mix until fully combined.
3. Combine Dry and Wet Ingredients
Keeping the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the bowl a half cup at a time. You do not want to over mix during this step, only mix until you no longer see streaks of white from the flour.
4. Fold In The Chips
Once the dry ingredients are mixed in, turn the mixer off and using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips and caramel chips.
5. Scoop the Cookie Dough
I usually use a 3-tablespoon scoop (#20) straight onto the tray - simple and reliable. But if I'm being honest, my favorite method is stacking scoops: start with a 2-tablespoon scoop (#40) on the tray, then top it with a 1-tablespoon scoop (#60), pressing gently so they stick together. It gives you these slightly uneven, bakery-style mounds that bake up beautifully.
6. Chill the Cookies And Bake
Once you have scooped all the cookie dough balls, use cling film to cover the baking tray and place the tray back in the refrigerator to chill for a minimum of 8 hours, but preferably overnight.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper and place 5-6 cookie dough balls on the baking tray spaced 2-3 inches apart. You do not want more than 6 cookies on the tray at once.
Bake the cookies for approximately 11-14 minutes at 350˚ Fahrenheit. You want to bake them until the edges of the cookies are a slight golden brown, but the centers of the cookies are still soft.
Bakery-Style Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- Measuring spoons and cups
- Mixing bowls
- Electric mixer
- Rubber spatula
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
- cookie scoop
Ingredients
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar firmly packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
Chocolate and Caramel
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup caramel chips
- flakey sea salt
Instructions
Mix Dry Ingredients
- The first step is to sift all the dry ingredients together into a medium sized bowl, (all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt) and then set the bowl aside.
Combine Wet Ingredients
- After you have finished sifting your dry ingredients, you need to prepare your wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer, or in the mixer bowl of a stand mixer, add the unsalted butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Cream the butter and sugars together on medium speed for 4 minutes until light and fluffy.
- When you have finished creaming the butter and sugar together, turn the mixer down to low and add the egg followed by the egg yolk. Once those are fully mixed in, add in the vanilla bean paste and mix until fully combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients
- Keeping the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the bowl a half cup at a time. You do not want to over mix during this step, only mix until you no longer see streaks of white from the flour.
Fold in Chocolate and Caramel Chips
- Once the dry ingredients are mixed in, turn the mixer off and using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips and caramel chips.
Refrigerate the Dough before scooping
- Place the mixing bowl in the refrigerator to chill for 15-30 minutes prior to scooping your cookie dough balls. Once the dough has chilled for a minimum of 15 minutes, line a baking tray with parchment paper and use a 3-tablespoon scoop (#20) to scoop your cookie dough and place the scoops onto your baking tray.
- Another way to scoop the cookie dough, which is the method I prefer, you will use both a 2-tablespoon scoop (#40) and a 1 tablespoon scoop (#60). First you will scoop with the 2-tablespoon scoop and place that scoop onto the baking tray.
- Then you will scoop with the 1 tablespoon scoop and place that scoop directly on top of the first scoop, making sure to gently press down so that both scoops are now one scoop together. The scoop will be a little high in the center which will be perfect when the cookies bake up.
Chill for 8 Hours
- Once you have scooped all the cookie dough balls, use cling film to cover the baking tray and place the tray back in the refrigerator to chill for a minimum of 8 hours, but preferably overnight.
Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet
- After the cookie dough balls have finished chilling and they are ready to bake, you need to make sure your oven is prepared for baking. Place your oven rack on the center rung in the in the oven and preheat the oven to 350˚ Fahrenheit. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and place 5-6 cookie dough balls on the baking tray spaced 2-3 inches apart.
Space the Cookies
- You do not want more than 6 cookies on the tray at once. Giving the cookies more room in between each other allows for them to bake more evenly.
- Place the remaining cookie dough balls back in the refrigerator to continue chilling while you are baking your cookies.
Bake
- Bake the cookies for approximately 11-14 minutes at 350˚ Fahrenheit. You want to bake them until the edges of the cookies are a slight golden brown, but the centers of the cookies are still soft.
Swirl the Edges
- When the cookies have finished baking remove them from the oven, and if the edges have spread you can use a biscuit cutter or a large glass to swirl around the outer edges of the cookie to bring back its round shape.
Add Extra Chocolate and Caramel Chips on Top
- While the cookies are still warm and cooling on the baking tray, as an optional garnish, feel free to add the additional semi-sweet chocolate chips and caramel chips to the tops of the cookies along with sprinkling them with flakey sea salt.
- Once the cookies have cooled on the baking tray for 5-7 minutes, use a spatula to gently transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
FAQ
Can I chill the dough overnight? Yes, you can chill the dough overnight, and it actually helps the cookies bake up even thicker and more flavorful. If the dough feels too firm after chilling, let it sit at room temperature for about 10 to 15 minutes before scooping.
How do I keep cookies soft? The best way to keep these cookies soft is to avoid overbaking them and store them in an airtight container once they're completely cool. You can also add a slice of bread to the container to help keep them moist for a few days.
Why It's Important to Space Out the Cookies: Giving the cookies more room in between each other allows for them to bake more evenly. Pro Tip: Place the remaining cookie dough balls back in the refrigerator to continue chilling while you are baking your cookies.
Why Did My Cookies Spread Too Much? The most common culprit is butter that's too soft or melted. Make sure your butter is room temperature-soft enough to press a finger into, but not greasy. Also, chilling your dough for at least 30 minutes before baking keeps the cookies thick and chewy instead of flat and crispy.
Why are my cookies still soft in the center when I take them out? That's exactly what you want; they will firm up as they cool on the hot baking sheet, giving you soft, chewy centers instead of dry, overbaked cookies.
Tips for Perfect Chewy Cookies Every Time
- These cookies are bigger and thicker, be sure that when you are scooping the dough that your scoops are "heaping" or "larger" scoops of dough. If you would like smaller sized cookies, you can do that as well, you will just need to adjust the baking time.
- If using vanilla bean paste, I personally do not recommend using bourbon vanilla bean paste because it can alter the flavor of the recipe. If you prefer to use vanilla extract, that is perfectly fine as well, and it can be used in equal parts as the vanilla bean paste.
- Feel free to use silicone baking mats if you don't have parchment paper for your baking trays.
- Don't overbake: Make sure that you do not over bake these cookies in the oven. They continue to bake and fully set up while they are cooling on the baking tray out of the oven.
- Chill the dough: Prior to scooping the cookie dough, it might seem quite sticky. Chilling the dough helps to make the dough easier to scoop. I typically like to chill my dough on the longer end towards 30 minutes prior to scooping, this makes it is easier to work with.
Variations and Substitutions
- Salted caramel chocolate chip cookies
Sprinkle coarse sea salt on top of the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven for a sweet-salty finish, or use slightly less salt in the dough and add more as a garnish. - Chocolate chunk caramel cookies
Swap chocolate chips for chopped chocolate bars or chunks for larger pockets of melted chocolate and a more rustic look. - Nutty caramel chocolate chip cookies
Add chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds for crunch and flavor; you may want to slightly reduce the total amount of chips so the dough isn't overloaded with mix-ins. - Butterscotch or toffee twist
Replace some or all of the caramel chips with butterscotch chips or chopped toffee pieces for a different but still caramel-adjacent flavor.
Storage and Freezing Tips
Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies should be stored in an airtight container, and they should last up to 5 days. You can also double bag them in a plastic Ziploc type bag and freeze them for up to 3 months.
Can I freeze the cookie dough? Yes, scoop the dough into balls, freeze them on a baking sheet until firm, then store them in a freezer-safe bag and bake from frozen, adding a bit of extra bake time.
Anonymous says
I am asked to make these cookies over and over - making them every week now.
Thank YOU for such a perfect recipe!
Edith 23 says
These cookies were easy to make instead of good old but boring chocolate chips. They were so good. Everyone loved them!
Olya Shepard says
Happy to hear!