Hi.
You. Need. To. Make. These. Cookies.
These are Salted Caramel Surprise Cookies.
And these may be the best cookies that I have ever made.
(seriously)
They came to me in a (day)dream as I was walking home from the train one afternoon. I am slightly obsessed with the sea salt-dusted cookie (see Sea Salt Chunk Cookies) and I knew that caramel + salt also taste great together.
So I mashed everything together and created the most epic of salty + sweet cookies.
And from the reaction of my nurses and my residents, these are a total winner.
Oh, and did I mention that they are the easiest thing to make!
(because they are!)
It starts with assembling the dry ingredients.
Flour + cocoa powder + baking soda + salt. Whisk and/or sift together to thoroughly combine and break up any cocoa clumps.
Then in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add in an egg and some vanilla extract. Beat until combined. Slowly add in the dry ingredients and continue to mix until just combined.
To make these chocolate cookies even more chocolate-y, I chopped up a dark chocolate bar (I keep them in my pantry at all times!) and tossed it in.
Now let’s do add in the star of the show – the caramel!
Grab a bunch of soft caramels… I used Wrether’s Soft Caramels (not an ad, I just like them!) because they are super soft and pliable. Cut the caramels in half and set aside.
To make the caramel “surprise”, I grabbed a heaping teaspoon of cookie dough (or, to be super precise, 4 teaspoons) and flattened it slightly in my hand.
Place half a caramel into the center of the dough and then push the edges of the dough up around the caramel, totally encasing it. Roll the dough ball in between your hands to seal it completely.
Pop the cookie dough balls onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with some coarse sea salt. Then pop the baking sheet into the freezer to allow the cookies to chill while the oven preheats (or about 15 minutes…).
Bake them at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes until the middle is just set. Allow to cool completely before diving in!
YUM.
They are the perfect balance of salty and sweet! Be sure to make a double batch… they disappear in the blink of an eye!
oxox,
Catherine
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup natural cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 3 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4oz dark chocolate, chopped
- 14-16 soft caramels, halved width-wise
- Coarse sea salt
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl + hand mixer), combine butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs and vanilla and beat until combine.
- With the mixer on low, add in the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Add in the chopped chocolate.
- Portion out heaping tablespoon portions of cookie dough, slightly flattening them in the palm of your hand. Place a caramel half in the center of the dough, pulling the edge up and over the caramel to completely enclose it. Roll the dough ball in between your hands to seal. Place the dough balls onto the parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Sprinkle all the dough balls with some sea salt. Pop the baking sheet into the freezer while you preheat your oven to 350 degrees (or for about 15 minutes...).
- Spread the cookies out onto separate baking sheets (about 2-inches apart from each other) and bake in the preheated oven for 10-11 minutes, or until the center is just set.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely on wire racks before digging in!
These look amazing Catherine! They just might make me a baker!
I hope you try them!