Description
Indulge in these decadent Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Cookies featuring a rich cocoa-infused dough, melty chocolate chips, and gooey caramel centers, all topped with a hint of flaky sea salt. The cookie dough is chilled for at least 3 hours to enhance flavor and texture, resulting in perfectly soft, slightly chewy cookies with a delightful salted caramel surprise inside.
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2/3 cup (55g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) milk
- 1 and 1/2 cups (270g) semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
Fillings and Topping
- 18 chocolate-coated caramels, such as Rolos (or use regular caramels)
- Flaky sea salt or coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Chill the Dough This cookie dough requires at least 3 hours of chilling, preferably overnight. Chilling makes the dough firmer and easier to handle, which is necessary for shaping the cookies around the caramel centers.
- Cream Butter and Sugars In a large bowl, use a hand or stand mixer with a paddle attachment to beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on medium-high speed until the mixture is fluffy and light in color, about 3 minutes.
- Add Egg and Vanilla Beat in the large egg and pure vanilla extract at high speed until thoroughly combined. Scrape down the bowl sides and bottom as needed to ensure even mixing.
- Combine Dry Ingredients In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt until well mixed.
- Mix Dry into Wet Mixture With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Beat on low until just combined and the dough is thick.
- Add Milk and Chocolate Chips Increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat in the milk followed by the chocolate chips. The dough will be sticky. Cover tightly and refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours or up to 3 days.
- Prepare for Baking Remove chilled dough and let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to slightly soften, making shaping easier. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Shape Cookies with Caramel Scoop 2 tablespoons (40g) of dough and divide it in half. Roll each half into balls. Create an indent in one ball and place one caramel candy inside. Top with the second ball and seal edges to encase the caramel fully. Repeat for all dough and caramels, wiping hands frequently to handle sticky dough.
- Arrange and Salt Place the caramel-stuffed dough balls 2–3 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Lightly sprinkle each cookie with flaky sea salt.
- Bake Cookies Bake for 12 to 13 minutes until edges are set and centers remain soft. If cookies aren’t spreading by 9 minutes, remove from oven and gently tap the baking sheet on the counter a few times to encourage spreading, then return to bake.
- Cool and Final Touch Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Optionally, press a few extra chocolate chips into the warm tops for decoration. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely; they will slightly deflate as they cool.
- Store Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Chilling the dough is mandatory to handle the sticky dough and achieve the best texture.
- Use chocolate-coated caramel candies like Rolos for easy handling and a delicious caramel surprise inside.
- If cookies aren’t spreading during baking, gently tapping the baking sheet can help them spread properly.
- Letting the dough sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before shaping makes it easier to work with.
- Slightly deflated cookies after cooling is normal due to the soft centers.
