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The Best Chewy Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

Crunchy, chewy bits of caramel and puddles of chocolate lace this vanilla-forward chocolate chip cookie! Aside from the extra step of making the hard caramel (which takes just minutes, no candy thermometer needed!), this is an easy, one-bowl recipe with no rest time for the dough!
5 from 7 reviews
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Cookies
Keyword: Chocolate Chip Cookies, Salted Caramel, Hard Caramel, Homemade, Recipe, Dessert
Servings: 36 Cookies
Author: Rebecca Firth

Ingredients

For the Hard Caramel

  • 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar

For the Cookie Dough

  • 1 1/2 cups (330) g light brown sugar (packed)
  • 16 tablespoons (226 g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ tablespoon (19 g) real vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs (room temperature)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 3 ¼ cups (439 g) all-purpose flour (how to measure flour)
  • 1 1/2 cups 255 g dark chocolate (coarsely chopped or chips)
  • Sea salt flakes for the tops (optional)

Instructions

For the Caramel

  • To make the caramel, spray a rimmed baking sheet heavily with nonstick spray and set aside.
  • Add the sugar to a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan. Turn the heat to medium high and stir with a silicon spatula until the sugar liquefies, turns golden brown and no sugar crystals remain. Immediately pour onto the prepared baking sheet and use a spatula to spread evenly until it’s about ¼ to ⅛ inch (0.7 to 0.3 cm) thick. Set aside to cool and harden while you make the cookie dough. Once cool, turn out onto a cutting board and cut into shards of 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) and smaller. Careful, they’re sharp.
    Hard caramel on a baking sheet cooling and then it being shown all chopped up.

For the Cookies

  • Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C) and line several baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • In an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream your brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter and vanilla on medium speed for about 4 to 5 minutes or until light in color and texture.
    The butter, sugar and vanilla before it gets creamed in a glass bowl and then a photo of it after, looking whipped and fabulous!
  • Add the eggs one at a time, making sure the first is well blended before adding the second. Add in the baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix on medium until everything is well blended, about 1 minute more. Take the bowl out of the mixer.
    Next step, mix in the eggs and then the leavening and salt. Close up of the bowls showing this step in cookie baking.
  • Add the flour and mix until barely blended and you still see streaks of flour. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is well combined. Add the chocolate and chopped hard caramel and mix until evenly distributed throughout. Place 2-tablespoon size dough balls on the prepared cookie sheet leaving 2 inches (5 cm) of space between the cookie dough balls.
    Step two in making salted caramel chocolate chip cookies. Pouring flour into the bowl and then the cookie dough ready to be scooped.
  • Bake cookies one sheet at a time in the center of the oven for about 11 minutes. Take out of the oven and use the edge of a silicon spatula to nudge the cookies back into circles. Place back in the oven for 1 minute more. They will look slightly underbaked. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, and then transfer the warm cookies to a rack to finish cooling. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if using and serve!
    Cookie dough balls on a baking sheet and the finished, fully baked cookies.

Notes

Mixer vs Your Arms

I mention an electric mixer in the instruction.
However, this perfect sugar cookie recipe is definitely a recipe that can easily be made with a large mixing bowl and spatula. Make sure you really cream your butter and sugar so that you get that awesome light cookie texture.
Additionally, you can use a hand mixer if you have one handy!

Cookie Storage

Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
 

For Best Results

This dough is best if mixed and baked straight away; do not store the dough in the fridge.

Caramel Tips

Cleaning the Caramel Pan
To get the caramel off of the pan and/or spatula (or anything it gets on), simply soak it in hot water and it will melt away...no scrubbing needed!
When Making the Caramel
Have oven mits hand to handle both the pan the caramel is cooking in as well as the rimmed baking sheet your pouring it onto...that baking sheet will get hot (don't touch it with your hand).
Use a silicon spatula (ideally) to stir and spread the caramel. If it resists spreading (it sets fast), don't panic. Just try to get as thin as you can and then let it go...it'll be fine.
You can also grab the baking sheet with an oven mitt on, and move the sheet to spread the caramel around.
Cutting the Caramel
I like to use a serrated knife (bread knife) for cutting the caramel. It will fly about, so don't chop like you would herbs. You'll need to move slow and deliberate so it doesn't make a huge mess.
Also, I think I cut it a wee too tiny in the photos. I like to err on the larger side (of a pencil eraser in size), since it will be less prone to melting completely while the cookies bake and then you get that caramel crunch I love so much.
 

Want More Cookie Tips?

Head over to My 10 Favorite Tips for Better Cookies!
Thanks for baking with me! Please rate + comment this recipe and tag me on social @displacedhousewife #displacedhousewife so I can see your beautiful treats! xo