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Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

Salted caramel chocolate chip cookies with a buttery, fluffy center and melty chocolate pools. Baked until the edges are golden but the centers still look slightly underdone, then finished with flaky sea salt for a sweet-salty crunch.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 32 minutes
Servings: 28 cookies
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 210
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry ingredients
  • 2.25 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 0.5 tsp salt
Wet ingredients
  • 1 lb unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 0.5 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate and caramel
  • 1.5 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup soft caramel bits or chopped soft caramels
Topping
  • 1 tsp flaky sea salt for topping

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep and preheat
  1. Preheat the oven to 375F and line baking sheets with parchment for easy release and even browning.
Mix the dry ingredients
  1. Whisk all-purpose flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt together until the mixture looks evenly combined with no streaks.
Cream the butter and sugars
  1. Beat the softened unsalted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until very light and fluffy, then the mixture should look paler in color and thicker in texture.
  2. Add the eggs one at a time and beat after each addition until fully incorporated, then mix in the vanilla extract until smooth.
Combine and portion
  1. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until no dry flour remains and the dough looks cohesive.
  2. Fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips and soft caramel bits (or chopped soft caramels) so they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
  3. Scoop the dough into 2-tablespoon rounds and place them on the prepared baking sheets with spacing between cookies.
Bake and finish
  1. Bake at 375F for 10-12 minutes until the edges are golden while the centers still look slightly underdone.
  2. Immediately press extra semi-sweet chocolate chips and caramel onto the tops if desired so they adhere before the cookies set.
  3. Sprinkle generously with flaky sea salt, then cool on the pan for 5 minutes so the cookies finish setting and hold their shape.

Notes

Pro tip: For the best chewy-soft texture, don’t overbake—pull the cookies when edges are golden but centers still look slightly underdone. Store airtight at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 7 days. Freeze baked cookies up to 2 months; thaw at room temperature. If you prefer a less sweet dough, use milk chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet while keeping the caramel bits and sea salt.