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Cassidy Morris

Salted Caramel Cookies

These soft & chewy Salted Caramel Cookies are the perfect indulgence. They are swirled with homemade salted caramel and topped with a drizzle more and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. A perfect cookie for caramel lovers and sweet & salty combos.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 3 dozen
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For Cookies:
  • 1 cup butter 2 sticks, browned
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
For Caramel:
  • 1/4 cup butter (half a stick, melted)
  • 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt

Method
 

For Cookies:
  1. Pre-heat your oven to 350℉ and line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a sauce pan over medium high heat, add your butter and let melt. Once it's melted, keep it on the heat and let it cook for 5-10 minutes until it foams up and then turns a amber brown color. Transfer into a glass measuring cup and let cool.
  3. In a large mixing bowl add your brown sugar, sugar, and browned butter that has cooled. Stir until well combined.
  4. Add your vanilla extract, egg, and egg yoke and stir until comes together and light and fluffy.
  5. Next, add your flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Mix until just combined. Add 2/3rds of your homemade caramel sauce (see instructions below) and slightly fold into your dough, so it's mixed in but there are still streaks of caramel sauce.
  6. Scoop out your cookie dough into 1 to 2 inch balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper a few inches apart. (this keeps them from spreading into each other too much.) Try to get a streak of caramel in each dough ball.
  7. Bake in a 350° oven for 8-10 minutes until the edges start to set. remove from oven and use a round cookie cutter to scoot around each cookie to make them round and bring any caramel that melted around the edges back to the cookie.
  8. Pop back in the oven for 1-2 more minutes if your cookies are still doughy in the middle. If the cookies are underbaked, they will be grainy.
  9. Melt the last 1/3rd of your caramel for a couple seconds and drizzle over half of each of your cookies. Top with flaky sea salt.
  10. Serve, share & enjoy!!
For Caramel:
  1. In a sauce pan over medium heat add your butter and brown sugar and let melt. Stir until they are fully combined and let mixture cook until it bubbles. Once it starts to bubble continue stirring and cooking for about two more minutes.
  2. Remove from heat and add your salt, vanilla extract and heavy cream and stir until it comes together.
  3. Next, add your pecans and stir them into your mixture until they are all coated.

Notes

Do I have to make homemade caramel?
Although homemade caramel is better than store bought on most occasions (corn syrup, yuck!!) you definitely can use a jarred caramel sauce for these cookies.
How long can the dough last?
The dough can last for a few days in the refrigerator in an airtight container or up to a month in the freezer in an airtight container or freezer bag.
I suggest scooping out your dough before you chill it so its easy to just pop em on a pan and bake.