Salted Caramel Chocolate Cookies

Dessert trends come + go. Hand pies, cookie butter, cronuts – they’ve all had their moments in the spotlight recently, but those trends tend to fade after time. One dessert that never seems to go out of style? COOKIES! While I know that a lot of people don’t do as much baking in the summer because of the warm temperatures, I’m someone who loves baked goods all year ’round. A couple weeks ago, I realized it had been too long since I baked a homemade treat, so I fired up the oven, + decided to try a new-to-me cookie recipe – these Salted Caramel Chocolate Cookies.

And y’all, these were SO amazingly tasty. Rich, heavenly, chocolate cookies stuffed with melty chocolate chips + gooey caramel, with a perfect burst of saltiness from sea salt sprinkled on top. Texture-wise, they are SO wonderful – they have a slightly-dense, soft + chewy interior, with a brownie-like crackly exterior. Between the fantastic combination of flavors + textures, these cookies were truly perfection. My husband said they were his favorite cookies that I’ve ever made, and I’m inclined to agree with him. =) You’ve gotta give these a try – I think you’ll love them!

Salted Caramel Chocolate Cookies

Makes about 3 dozen cookies, adapted from Gimme Some Oven

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (11 oz.) bag Kraft Caramel Bits (or 11 oz. bag regular caramels, cut into 1/4″ pieces)
1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
coarse sea salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In large bowl (or in your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment), beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in two separate additions, beating well after each addition, until well-blended. Mix in the caramel bits and chocolate chips, stir until combined.

Drop by rounded heaping tablespoonfuls onto greased (or parchment paper or Silpat-lined) cookie sheets. Press each cookie down slightly to flatten, then sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or just until set. Cool for about 10 minutes on the cookie sheet(s) before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

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