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a salted caramel chocolate chip cookie broken in half with gooey caramel and melted chocolate
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4.62 from 31 votes

Brown Butter Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

They have a soft and chewy texture, nutty and rich brown butter flavor, gooey caramel filling, and pools of melted chocolate. They're the perfect balance of sweet and salty. 
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Chill Time3 hours
Total Time3 hours 30 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian
Keyword: christmas cookies, cookie exchange
Servings: 12 cookies

Equipment

  • Stand Mixer or Electric Mixer
  • Baking sheet and parchment paper

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (2 sticks; 240g) unsalted butter cubed
  • 1 1/4 cups (266g) dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
  • 2 1/2 cups (281g) all-purpose flour gluten-free if needed
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt plus more for sprinkling
  • 1 cup (180g) semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 8- (8-ounce) semi-sweet baking bar roughly chopped
  • 12-14 soft caramels (we used Kraft baking caramels)

Instructions

  • Make the brown butter. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter, stirring occasionally. Continue cooking for 3-5 minutes, until the bubbler bubbles, foams and the milk solids start to separate. The solids will start to smell nutty and turn a deep amber color. Remove it from the heat and pour it into a medium bowl to cool slightly.
  • Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar together until combined, 2-3 minutes.
  • Add the vanilla, egg and egg yolk and continue to beat until combined, about 1 minute.
  • With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the drygredients, then turn the speed up to medium-high to combine. Stop to scrape down the bowl as needed. 
  • Stir in the chocolate chips and chocolate chunks. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or ideally overnight. You can leave it in the fridge for up to 72 hours. See notes for freezing.
  • When you're ready to bake preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a large cookie scoop to scoop the dough out onto the cookie sheets. You should have 24-28 scoops. Place a caramel in the center of a dough ball then cover it with another. Pinch the seams to close the caramel inside and roll the ball into a balls just slightly taller than it is round. See blog post images for an example. Repeat with the remaining dough. You should have 12-14 large cookies.  
  • Arrange the cookie dough on the secon d cookie sheet a few inches apart. Bake for 10-13 minutes, until the edges and tops of just set and slightly golden brown. Press a few additional chocolate into the top of the baked cookies and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Video

Notes

Store baked cookies: Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days. Cover and chill in the fridge for up to a week or store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow them to thaw overnight in the fridge and bring them to room temperature before serving. The caramel inside will be hard if you try and serve them cold.
Freeze the dough: skip chilling the dough and stuff the cookies with caramel. Roll them into large dough balls, flash freeze on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, adding 2-3 minutes to the bake time.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 475kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 5.3g | Fat: 22g | Cholesterol: 66.7mg | Sodium: 307.9mg | Fiber: 2.2g | Sugar: 46.7g | Vitamin A: 131.7IU