These salted caramel chocolate chip cookies have crisp edges, a chewy middle and a soft caramel tucked into the center of every cookie. A sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top if the finishing touch that makes them impossible to stop at one!

Salted caramel chocolate chip cookie with a bite taken, showing the melted caramel center.

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The Best Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you’ve already made my best chocolate chip cookies, consider this the next-level version. The dough is soft and chewy, similar to my chocolate chip pudding cookies and chocolate chip cake mix cookies, but with one big upgrade: a whole soft caramel baked right into the middle of each one.

This recipe is from my dear friend Maria Lichty of Two Peas & Their Pod, and it’s straight out of her cookbook Let’s Eat Cookies. She’s a cookie queen like myself, so you know it’s going to be good!

They come together in about 25 minutes with no chill time required. The ingredient list is mostly pantry staples plus a bag of soft caramels. The key technique is wrapping each ball of dough around a whole caramel instead of stirring chopped pieces into the dough, which keeps the caramel from leaking out onto the pan while baking.

XO - Jamielyn

Ingredients You’ll Need

Ingredients for salted caramel chocolate chip cookies laid out on a counter, including flour, butter, brown sugar, chocolate chips, and soft caramels.

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

  • Cornstarch: This is what helps keeps the cookies nice and chewy.
  • Unsalted butter: I use unsalted to control the amount of salt I can add without the cookies being too salty. If using salted butter, omit any extra salt in the cookie dough.
  • Light brown sugar: I use both white and brown sugar, but the brown sugar needs to be packed into the measuring cup to make sure you’re using the required amount.
  • Large egg: Bring it to room temperature with the butter so all ingredients are starting at the same temperature for even baking.
  • Chocolate chips: Semi-sweet chocolate chips are the perfect amount of sweetness for me. Use milk chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips if you prefer.
  • Soft caramels: Werther’s soft caramels or Trader Joe’s fleur de sel caramels are my picks, but use whatever brand you like, as long as they’re soft and chewy.
  • Flaky sea salt: Sprinkle on top for a beautiful finish.
  • You’ll also need: All purpose flour, baking soda, salt, granulated white sugar, vanilla extract

How to Make Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and both sugars. Add egg and vanilla, beat to combine. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk dry ingredients. Combine flour mixture with wet ingredients, then stir in chocolate chips.

Cookie dough for salted caramel chocolate chip cookies in a mixing bowl with chocolate chips stirred in.

Scoop out cookie dough with a large cookie scoop and roll it into a ball. Place a piece of caramel in the center then wrap dough around the candy.

Hands wrapping cookie dough around a soft caramel to make salted caramel chocolate chip cookies.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle with sea salt.

Stack of salted caramel chocolate chip cookies with middle cookie broke in half to show gooey caramel.

Recipe Tips

  • No chilling required, but you can make ahead. This dough is ready to bake right after mixing, no fridge time needed. If you want to prep ahead, the dough will keep in the fridge for up to 72 hours before baking.
  • Use fresh, soft caramels. Caramels that have been sitting in the pantry for a while can dry out and won’t melt properly in the oven. If yours feel firm when you squeeze them, grab a new bag.
  • Seal the dough completely around the caramel. Any gap or thin spot is where the caramel will escape onto the pan while baking. Pinch the dough together and roll the ball between your palms to smooth out any seams.
  • Add the sea salt right out of the oven. The cookies are still warm and slightly soft, so the salt flakes stick instead of rolling off. Wait too long and it won’t adhere as well.
  • Press extra chocolate chips on top. Right when the cookies come out of the oven, press a few extra chips into the tops for that bakery-style look.

Variations

  • Swap the chocolate chips. Try white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, dark chocolate chunks, or a mix. Each gives a different sweet-salty balance with the caramel.
  • Use a Rolo for an even meltier center. Sub a Rolo in place of the soft caramel for a chocolate-caramel combo in the middle.
  • Go homemade with the caramel. Use my homemade caramel recipe or quicker microwave caramels instead of store-bought.
  • Make one giant cookie instead. Turn this idea into a chocolate chip cookie pie with dulce de leche for a shareable version.
Close-up of a salted caramel chocolate chip cookie with a gooey caramel center.

More desserts with caramel include salted caramel butter bars, coconut caramel cookies, and Twix cookie recipe.

More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes

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salted caramel chocolate chip cookies with one cookie on the counter with a bite missing.

Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

5 from 7 votes
Recipe by: Jamielyn Nye
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 18
These salted caramel chocolate chip cookies are soft and chewy with a melted caramel center and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top.
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Ingredients 

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter , at room temperature
  • 1 cup light brown sugar , packed
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 9 soft caramels , cut in half
  • flaky sea salt , for sprinkling

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until smooth.
  • Gradually add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
  • Using a large cookie scoop (or about 2 Tablespoons), spoon dough into hand and roll into a ball. Slightly flatten the the ball with the palm of your hand. Place a piece of caramel in the center of the dough and wrap the cookie dough around the caramel. Make sure the caramel is completely covered by dough. Place on prepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
  • Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, until slightly browned around the edges.
  • Remove from oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Let set on the pan 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Last step: Please leave a comment and rating after you make the recipe.

Notes

Caramels: Use soft caramels like Werther’s Soft Caramels or Trader Joe’s Fleur de Sel Caramels.
To store: Keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
To freeze baked cookies: Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
To freeze cookie dough: Scoop and stuff the dough balls with caramel, then flash freeze on a baking sheet until solid. Transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen, adding an extra minute or two to the bake time.
Adapted from Let’s Eat Cookies by Maria Lichty for my Cookbook Fanatics Series.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 258kcal, Carbohydrates: 35g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 30mg, Sodium: 147mg, Potassium: 105mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 22g, Vitamin A: 257IU, Vitamin C: 0.02mg, Calcium: 29mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.