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Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

Salted caramel chocolate chip cookies with a buttery, crisp-edged finish and melty chocolate puddles in every bite. Bake at 375°F until the edges are golden but the centers stay slightly underdone, then top with flaky sea salt for a crackly finish.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 32 minutes
Servings: 28 cookies
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 200
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

dry ingredients
  • 2.25 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 0.5 tsp salt
cookie base
  • 1 lb unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 0.5 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
mix-ins and topping
  • 1.5 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup soft caramel bits or chopped soft caramels
  • 0.25 tsp flaky sea salt for topping

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Preheat and prep
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line baking sheets with parchment. This ensures the cookies bake evenly without sticking.
Mix the dry ingredients
  1. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt. Mix until the powders look evenly distributed with no visible streaks.
Cream the butter and sugars
  1. Beat the softened unsalted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until very light and fluffy. Add extra air here for a tender cookie texture.
Add eggs and vanilla
  1. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until incorporated, then mix in the vanilla extract. The batter should look glossy and smooth after the last addition.
Combine and fold in mix-ins
  1. Fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture until no dry bits remain. Stop as soon as it comes together to avoid tough cookies.
Fold in chocolate and caramel
  1. Fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips and caramel bits until evenly spread through the dough. You should see chocolate chips and caramel throughout the dough.
Scoop and bake
  1. Scoop the dough into 2-tablespoon rounds and place them on the prepared baking sheets. Space them out so they can spread without merging.
  2. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 375°F until the edges are golden but the centers still look slightly underdone. The cookies will finish setting as they cool.
Top and cool
  1. Immediately press extra chocolate chips and caramel onto the tops if desired. The warm surface helps them adhere for a layered look.
  2. Sprinkle generously with flaky sea salt, then cool on the pan for 5 minutes. Finish transferring to a rack if you have one, so bottoms don’t steam.

Notes

For the best chewy centers, pull cookies when the edges are set and the middle still looks a bit soft—carryover heat finishes the bake. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days, or refrigerate up to 5 days; freeze baked cookies up to 2 months (thaw at room temp). For a gluten-free swap, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend (with cornstarch listed or add a little extra) so the structure holds.