Caramel Stuffed Cookies
Caramel Stuffed Cookies are a simple, buttery chocolate chip cookie dough stuffed with caramels. Freeze the cookie dough ahead of time and make these fresh for your family and friends!
Caramel Cookies
Cookies are #1 on my list of desserts to create. They are pretty simple, especially since our family doesn’t have food allergies or sensitivities. It’s so simple to take a standard cookie recipe and start experimenting with different ingredients and adaptations.
Take for instance THIS one. I slightly adapted my Super Soft Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe and then simply stuffed the dough with some delicious soft caramels.
Why This Recipe Works:
- SIMPLE – A caramel-stuffed chocolate chip cookie starts with our soft chocolate chip cookies and adds just one special ingredient. These homemade treats are simple to make and fun to make with kiddos.
- A CARAMEL SURPRISE – This chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe has a gooey caramel center, especially if eaten warm. The perfect balance of flavor.
- SOFT AND CHEWY – Chewy cookies are the best cookies, in our opinion. Crispy edges and soft centers with a melty caramel spell perfection! Perfect cookies for holiday party trays!
Ingredients Used:
These simple ingredients are required to make your new favorite cookies. All are easily found in your local grocery store (except possibly the caramels which are linked below).
- Unsalted Butter
- Granulated Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Large Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Kosher Salt
- Cornstarch
- Baking Soda
- All-Purpose Flour
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips – Feel free to use chocolate chunks, milk chocolate chips, or dark chocolate instead.
- Soft Caramels – We prefer using Werther’s soft caramels for these caramel stuffed chocolate chip cookies. Make sure the caramel candies you use are good for baking s to ensure a melted caramel center.
How to make Salted Caramel Stuffed Cookies:
Step 1
Make the cookie dough. In a large standing mixer using a paddle attachment, cream together the softened butter and sugars. Then add in eggs and vanilla and mix again – occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl.
In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients – flour, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch. Pour into the wet ingredients, and mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
Step 2
Form cookie balls. Use a cookie scoop to form 24 equal-sized cookie balls. Stuff one caramel into each cookie dough ball.
Step 3
Chill. Place cookie balls in the refrigerator for two hours or so. You can also place in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
Step 4
Bake. Add cookie balls to baking sheets (that have been prepared with parchment paper). I usually bake 6 cookies on one pan. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 12-14 minutes, or until cookies are golden brown on top.
Step 5
Add salt. When cookies are done, immediately sprinkle with kosher salt or flaky sea salt. Let them sit on the pan for 10 minutes or so before removing to a cooling rack.
Cookie Baking Tips:
- Use room-temperature butter and eggs to up your cookie game. This allows the ingredients to form an emulsion that traps air. While baking, this trapped air expands to produce a fluffier cookie. Using cold ingredients will prevent this magic from happening.
- Chill your dough. This will allow the fat in the cookies to chill and firm up. When baking, this chilled fat will prevent an over-spreading of the cookies. The resting time will also allow the flour to soak up the liquids in the dough. When the cookies are fully hydrated, they brown better, bake more evenly, and have a more complex flavor.
- Bake your cookies to YOUR preference. If you like your cookies darker, bake them longer. If you like them gooey, then slightly under-bake them. You do you!
- Bake one batch at a time. If using a regular oven, baking one batch at a time is recommended for more even baking. If using a convection oven, you can bake two batches at a time.
- Fix the edges. If you notice flat cookies while baking, take them out of the oven and gently press the edges of the cookies in with a spoon. Return cookies to the oven to continue baking.
Storing and Freezing:
- To store, keep baked cookies in an airtight container on your countertop. They will stay fresh for several days.
- Freeze cookies in a freezer bag for up to three months.
- To freeze dough, you can either 1) wrap the cookie dough up tightly and freeze in a freezer bag, or 2) make individual cookie balls and freeze. They will last in the freezer for up to three months.
Other Cookie Recipes:
We are cookie monsters here, and I love sharing new recipes with y’all!
- White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies – Sweet and salty goodness.
- Peanut Butter Cup Cookies – Melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness.
- Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies – Buttery and simple to prep in advance.
- Best Ever Snickerdoodle Cookies – The BEST!
- Peppermint Mocha Cookies – Chocolate cookies dipped in white chocolate.
Kitchen Tools Used: (Affiliate Links)
These Werther’s Salted Soft Caramels were used for this recipe.
xoxo ~Sue
Salted Caramel Stuffed Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
- 1 cup brown sugar (220 grams)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (360 grams)
- 1 ¼ cups dark chocolate chips
- 24 soft caramels
- extra sprinkle of kosher salt – after the cookies come out of the oven
Instructions
- Make the cookie dough. Using a large standing mixer, cream together the butter and sugars. Then add in eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients – flour, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch. Pour into the wet ingredients, and mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
- Form cookie balls. Use a cookie scoop to form 24 equal-sized cookie balls. Stuff a caramel into each cookie dough ball.
- Chill. Place cookie balls in the refrigerator for two hours or so. You can also place in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
- Bake. Add cookie balls to baking sheets (that have been prepared with parchment paper). I usually bake 8 in one pan. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 12-14 minutes, or until cookies are golden brown on top.
- Add salt. When cookies are done, immediately sprinkle with kosher salt. Let them sit on the pan for 10 minutes or so before removing to cooling racks.
Notes
- To store, keep in an airtight container on your countertop. They will stay fresh for several days.
- To freeze, you can either 1) wrap the cookie dough up tightly and freeze in a freezer bag, or 2) make individual cookie balls and freeze. They will last in the freezer for up to three months.
These are delicious, I love the combination of sweet and salty!
#1 COOKIE! I made these for a family cookie baking contest and won first place!! Needless to say, they are delicious and everyone loved them!
They are super easy and fun to make. I was worried that they wouldn’t be as good if they weren’t right out of the oven, so I undercooked them a little bit in hopes that they would still be soft for the competition the next day, and they were perfectly soft and moist!! People were so excited to see the “caramel pull” when they broke the cookie in half! Can’t recommend these enough!!!
Hi Brynn! I’m so glad you WON the family contest! Thanks so much for your feedback. You’re #!! 🙂
I love these fresh from the oven!