Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
on Feb 25, 2025
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This is the ultimate Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe that perfectly balances sweet and salty flavors. These irresistible cookies feature gooey caramel bits, rich chocolate chips, and a finishing touch of sea salt for a bakery-worthy treat you can easily make at home. Perfect for family desserts, holiday cookie exchanges, or whenever you’re craving something deliciously indulgent!
I’m always on the hunt for recipes that feel special enough to create those “wow” moments but don’t require hours in the kitchen. These Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies hit every mark – they’re the cookies my kids beg for by name and the ones neighbors mysteriously appear at my door hoping I’ve made.
The combination of melty chocolate chips and gooey caramel pockets creates little bursts of happiness in every bite, while the finishing touch of sea salt elevates them from “great cookie” to “unforgettable cookie.”
You can make the dough ahead and refrigerate it, baking just a few cookies at a time for after-school treats. Or bake the whole batch for bake sales, holiday cookie exchanges, or when you need a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. The recipe makes plenty (54 cookies!), so you’ll have enough to share while keeping some for your family’s cookie jar.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
- Perfect Sweet-Salty Balance: The combination of rich caramel, chocolate, and that sprinkle of sea salt creates a flavor profile that’s absolutely addictive and more sophisticated than regular chocolate chip cookies.
- Consistently Delicious Results: This recipe is nearly foolproof, producing soft, chewy cookies every time, even if you’re not an experienced baker.
- Impressive Without the Fuss: These cookies look and taste like something from an upscale bakery, but the preparation is surprisingly straightforward with basic pantry ingredients. It’s literally bakery quality from home!
- Versatile for Any Occasion: Perfect for everyday treats, holiday cookie platters, bake sales, or packaged as gifts – these cookies are appropriate for any occasion where smiles are welcome.
- Freezer-Friendly: You can freeze both the dough and baked cookies, making this recipe perfect for planning ahead or having homemade treats ready at a moment’s notice.
🍪 Don’t ever think you can have too many chocolate chip cookie recipes — there’s a special chocolate-y goodness cookie for everyone!
Recipe Ingredients
- Butter
- Granulated white sugar
- Brown sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Baking soda
- Salt — Whatever regular salt you use plus coarse salt for topping, such as sea salt.
- All-purpose flour
- Chocolate chips — like semi-sweet chocolate chips in this recipe; I think they go well with the caramel!
- Caramel bits
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smooth and fluffy.
Step 2: Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and caramel bits until evenly distributed.
Step 3: Scoop dough into 1½-inch balls and place them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
Step 4: Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the centers look slightly soft. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with coarse sea salt while they are still hot. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days in an airtight container. You can also roll the dough into balls, freeze them on a baking sheet, and then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, add 2-3 minutes to the baking time (no need to thaw).
Caramel bits are typically found in the baking aisle near the chocolate chips. Popular brands include Kraft and Hershey’s. If you can’t find them, you can chop soft caramel candies into small pieces as a substitute.
If your cookies are spreading too thin, try chilling the dough for 30 minutes before baking. Also, make sure your butter is softened but not melted, and that your baking sheet has cooled completely between batches.
The perfect cookie will have golden brown edges but still look slightly underdone in the center. Remember that cookies continue to bake on the hot sheet after removing from the oven, so it’s better to slightly underbake for a soft, chewy texture.
For a slightly different texture, you can use half all-purpose and half bread flour for chewier cookies. For a gluten-free version, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend, but the texture will be slightly different.
Expert Tips
- Temperature Matters: Make sure your butter is properly softened (not melted) for the perfect cookie texture. If it’s too soft, refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes before baking to prevent excessive spreading.
- Caramel Placement Strategy: For picture-perfect cookies with visible caramel, reserve a handful of caramel bits and press a few into the tops of each dough ball right before baking. Totally not necessary, but it’s very pretty!
- Salt Timing is Crucial: Sprinkle the sea salt immediately after the cookies come out of the oven while they’re still hot. The residual heat helps the salt adhere to the surface without melting completely. And of course you can skip the salt garnish!
- Cookie Scoop Investment: Using a cookie scoop (about 1½ tablespoon size which is the #50 scoop) ensures all your cookies are uniform in size and bake evenly. This is especially helpful when managing such a large batch.
- Parchment Paper Always: Don’t skip the parchment paper! The caramel can stick to the baking sheet otherwise, making removal difficult and cleanup a chore. You can also use the silicone baking mats like I use (see pics).
Some Family Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies
These are the recipes I go back to again and again for those chocolate chip cookie cravings. They’re all a hit with my family and are always devoured when I take them to an event!
- Nestle Toll House cookie bars deliver all the chewy, gooey, chocolatey goodness of the classic cookies in a simple, shareable form that eliminates the need for scooping individual cookies.
- These salty chocolate chip cookies transform ordinary cookies into an extraordinary treat with their rich, nutty browned butter flavor, perfectly balanced textures of chewy centers and crisp golden edges.
- This easy cast iron chocolate chip cookie recipe delivers the ultimate shareable dessert with perfectly gooey centers, irresistibly crispy edges, melty chocolate chips, and a foolproof one-pan method that works every time.
- This chocolate chip walnut cookie recipe creates an irresistible treat where buttery cookie dough meets melty chocolate chips and perfectly toasted walnuts.
More Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Mason Jar Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Original Nestle Toll House Cookie Bars
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Salty Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Gooey Cast Iron Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup caramel bits
- coarse salt, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smooth and fluffy.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract, beating until fully incorporated.
- Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until well combined.
- Fold in the chocolate chips and caramel bits until evenly distributed.
- Scoop dough into 1½-inch balls and place them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the centers look slightly soft.
- Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with coarse sea salt while they are still hot.
- Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- For extra gooey caramel, press a few extra caramel bits on top before baking.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or freeze for longer storage.
- The caramel bits are in the baking section near the chocolate chips.
- You can use milk chocolate chips here if you’d like.
