Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies are an irresistible combination of crispy-chewy cookie, rich caramel and chocolate chips, and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. The brown butter cookie dough provides a nutty aroma and creates the perfect balance of sweet and savory.
Satisfy your sweet tooth with these browned butter caramel chocolate chip cookies loaded with both chocolate and caramel chips! The cookie edges are crispy, the centers are chewy, and each bite is an explosion of sweet and savory delight.
Looking for other brown butter cookie recipes? Try our Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies and Miso Toffee Chocolate Cookies.
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About Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Texture - The cookies are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
- Flavor - The brown butter, brown sugar, and caramel chips make the cookies extra sweet and decadent.
- Time - It takes just 10 minutes of prep, 1 hour to chill, and about 12 minutes to bake.
- Effort - These cookies are easy. Just brown the butter, mix the ingredients, scoop the cookie dough, then bake!
Key Ingredients
- Caramel Chips - Caramel chips provide extra rich sweetness.
- Flour - All purpose flour provides the structural foundation for the cookies.
- Butter - We use brown butter to give the cookies a uniquely nutty and toasty aroma.
- Vanilla extract - Vanilla extract adds complexity and depth to the cookie dough. For a stronger vanilla flavor, use vanilla bean paste.
- Sugar - We use both brown and granulated sugar. Brown sugar contributes moistness while granulated sugar provides sweetness and allows the cookies spread while they bake.
- Baking soda and powder - Baking soda helps the cookie dough spread and baking powder makes the cookie dough tender.
- Egg - Egg binds the ingredients together and keeps the cookies from crumbling.
- Chocolate chips - We recommend semi-sweet chocolate chips because they are the perfect balance of sweet and rich.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions
- Chocolate chips - Use dark chocolate chips if you prefer a purer and more intense chocolate flavor. Use white or milk chocolate chips to make the cookies extra sweet.
- Chocolate chunks - Use chocolate chunks instead of chocolate chips if you prefer the texture.
- Butterscotch chips - Swap the caramel chips for butterscotch chips for a deeper brown sugar flavor.
- Light brown sugar - Use light brown sugar if you prefer a less caramel flavored cookie.
- Gluten-free - Use 1-to-1 gluten-free all purpose flour to make these cookies gluten-free. While we haven't tested it with this recipe, but we recommend trying it with this gluten-free flour.
Variations
- Nuts - Add roasted walnuts, roasted pecans, or you favorite nuts for hearty crunch.
- Milk - Enjoy the cookies beside or dipped in your favorite milk.
How to Make Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prepare oven and baking sheet - Preheat the oven to 375°F. Then line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Make brown butter - Heat a skillet or saucepan on medium heat. Add the sliced butter to the pan and whisk as the butter cooks. The butter will foam then start to brown and form small brown flecks. The butter will be golden brown and have a nutty aroma. (Photo 1 and 2)
- Transfer brown butter - Remove from heat and pour the mixture into a measuring cup to confirm the liquid measures a half cup. It’s okay if it’s slightly over. (Photo 3)
- Whisk butter and sugar - In a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the browned butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add egg and vanilla - Then reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla and egg until combined. (Photo 5 and 6)
- Mix dry ingredients - Fold in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt until just mixed. Then, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula to ensure all the ingredients are combined. Do not over mix or the dough will become dense as a result. (Photo 7 and 8)
- Add mix-ins - Then, fold in chocolate chips and butterscotch chips. (Photo 9)
- Scoop - Use a cookie scoop, spoon, or measuring cup to scant scoop and form ¼ cup dough balls. Alternatively, you can make smaller cookies by forming 2 tablespoon (1¼ inch) dough balls. Place them on the baking sheet with at least 2 inches of space around each one to make room for spreading. (Photo 10 and 11))
- Chill - Cover the baking sheets loosely with wrap (e.g. a clean dish cloth, plastic wrap, beeswax wrap, foil, etc.) and refrigerate for at least one hour or as long as 2 days. This will allow the caramel flavor to develop.
- Bake - Then, bake the cookies on the middle rack one tray at a time for 10-12 minutes. The edges will be deep golden brown and the tops a light golden brown. For a crispier cookie, bake for 1-2 minutes longer.
- Remove and cool - Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool until they are set. Then repeat the process with the remaining cookie dough. Finally, top with flaky sea salt, if desired. (Photo 12)
Pro tip - Use a baking sheet for even baking and line it with parchment paper to minimize sticking and cleanup time.
Storage
Store these salted caramel chocolate cookies in an air-tight container and keep in a cool, dry place for up to 7 days.
You can also freeze these cookies for up to 1 month. To store, let the baked cookies reach room temperature then place them in a storage bag, press out the air, and seal them. When you are ready to enjoy them, thaw them in the refrigerator or on the counter. To warm, heat the oven to 300°F and warm on a baking sheet for a couple minutes or warm briefly in the microwave.
Baking Tips
- Once the butter is browned, remove it from the heat immediately to prevent it from burning. The butter can burn very quickly!
- Don't over-mix ingredients to ensure the cookies spread evenly and have a light texture. Over mixing can make the cookie dough tough.
- Make your cookies the same size with a cookie dough scooper. This ensures the cookies will have the same texture. When using it, scrape excess cooking dough off the scooper using the edge of the bowl then place the dough onto the baking sheet.
- Bake on the middle rack for even cooking. If baking more than one sheet of cookies, place the racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven. Additionally, rotate the baking sheets from top to bottom halfway through baking to ensure the cookies bake evenly.
FAQs
Brown butter adds a unique warm and caramel like flavor to the recipe that accentuates all the rich cookie flavors.
Caramel chip cookies can come out hard if they are over baked or baked at too high a temperature. The longer the cookies bake and the higher the temperature, the more moisture they lose, resulting in a hard and crunchy texture.
Cookies will become flat if they have an incorrect flour, sugar, and butter ratio. Always double check the measurements or the cookies can spread too much.
This can happen if you use too much butter, but our recipe won't result in greasy cookies.
There are several factors that determine whether cookies will be chewy or crunchy including the ingredients and baking time and temperature. If you want chewy chocolate chip cookies, bake them at a lower temperature for a shorter amount of time. Also, cookies will be chewier if you use brown sugar instead of white.
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📖 Recipe
Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoon butter room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup chocolate chips
- ¾ cup caramel chips
Instructions
- Prepare oven and baking sheet - Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Make brown butter - Heat a skillet or saucepan on medium heat. Add the sliced butter to the pan and whisk as the butter cooks. The butter will foam then start to brown and form small brown flecks. The butter will be golden brown and have a nutty aroma. Remove from heat and pour the mixture into a measuring cup to confirm the liquid measures a half cup. It’s okay if it’s slightly over.10 tablespoon butter
- Whisk butter and sugar - In a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the browned butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla and egg until combined.¼ cup granulated sugar, ¾ cup dark brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 large egg
- Mix dry ingredients - Fold in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt until just mixed. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula to ensure all the ingredients are combined. Do not over mix or the dough will become dense. Fold in chocolate chips and caramel chips.1½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¾ cup chocolate chips, ¾ cup caramel chips
- Scoop - Use a cookie scoop, spoon, or measuring cup to scant scoop and form ¼ cup dough balls. Alternatively, you can make smaller cookies by forming 2 tablespoon (1¼ inch) dough balls. Place them on the baking sheet with at least 2 inches of space around each one to make room for spreading.
- Chill - Cover the baking sheets loosely with wrap (e.g. a clean dish cloth, plastic wrap, beeswax wrap, foil, etc.) and refrigerate for at least one hour or as long as 2 days. This will allow the caramel flavor to develop.
- Bake - Bake the cookies on the middle rack one tray at a time for 10-12 minutes. The edges will be deep golden brown and the tops a light golden brown. For a crispier cookie, bake for 1-2 minutes longer.
- Remove and cool - Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool until they are set. Repeat the process with the remaining cookie dough. Top with flaky sea salt, if desired.
Notes
- Store caramel chip cookies in an air-tight container and keep in a cool, dry place for up to 7 days. You can also freeze these cookies for up to 1 month. To store, let the baked cookies reach room temperature then place them in a storage bag, press out the air, and seal them. When you are ready to enjoy them, thaw them in the refrigerator or on the counter. To warm, heat the oven to 300°F and warm on a baking sheet for 2 to 3 minutes or warm briefly in the microwave.
- Use high quality butter with a higher fat content.
- Use a baking sheet for even baking and line it with parchment paper to minimize sticking and cleanup time.
- Once the butter is browned, remove it from the heat immediately to prevent it from burning.
- Don't over-mix ingredients to ensure the cookies spread evenly and have a light texture. Over mixing can make the cookie dough tough.
- Make your cookies the same size with a cookie dough scooper. This ensures the cookies will have the same texture. When using it, scrape excess cooking dough off the scooper using the edge of the bowl then place the dough onto the baking sheet.
- Bake on the middle rack for even cooking. If baking more than one sheet of cookies, place the racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven. Rotate the baking sheets from top to bottom halfway through baking to ensure the cookies bake evenly.
Jackie
Hi
Where did you purchase your caramel chips.
Kathleen Higashiyama
Hi Jackie, we found them at some of our local grocery stores. You can also find them online here.