These are the best chocolate caramel cookies! Fudgy chocolate thumbprint cookies are filled with homemade salted caramel sauce and sprinkled with sea salt. If you're a chocolate and caramel lover, these are going to be your new favorite cookie!
If you're looking for other delicious cookies, check out my chocolate thumbprint cookies, PB&J cookies, lemon curd cookies, biscoff butter cookies, white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, red velvet cookies, chewy peanut butter cookies, chewy pumpkin cookies, double chocolate cookies, brownie cookies, or best chocolate chip cookies!
Why You'll Love these Chocolate Cookies with Salted Carmel
They're SO chocolatey. The cookies are made with Dutch process cocoa powder for the best, dark chocolate flavor.
They've got the best texture. These are chewy cookies!
They're filled with salted caramel sauce. The homemade, gooey caramel sauce makes each bite of cookie truly melt in your mouth.
Ingredients
- Flour- all-purpose flour is used for the best "chew"
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder- I recommend using Dutch-process cocoa powder for a richer chocolate flavor
- Salt- helps bring out all the flavors in these cookies
- Baking Powder- helps the cookies to rise slightly
- Butter- make sure it's softened, unsalted for the cookies, salted for the caramel
- Brown Sugar- mostly brown sugar is used for chewier cookies
- Granulated White Sugar- used along side the brown sugar
- Egg Yolks- make sure they're room temperature
- Vanilla- as always I recommend vanilla bean paste for the best flavor, but vanilla extract will work as well
- Heavy Cream- used in the caramel
- Flaky Sea Salt- for sprinkling over the cookies
Chocolate Caramel Cookie Recipe Step by Step
Please see recipe card below for complete measurements and baking time!
STEP ONE: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder together. Then set aside the flour mixture.
STEP TWO: In a large bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated white sugar together with an electric mixer on high speed. (You can also use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.)
STEP THREE: Add in the egg yolks and vanilla and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1-2. minutes.
STEP FOUR: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until combined.
STEP FIVE: Scoop the dough in 32 portions with a tablespoon-size cookie scoop and roll into balls. Directly after rolling into a ball, press each with a ¼ teaspoon to make an indent. Chill the dough for one hour.
STEP SIX: While the cookie dough chills make the salted caramel. See this blog post for a full break down of how to make salted caramel!
STEP SEVEN: Bake cookies 12 at a time on parchment paper lined large baking sheets. When the cookies are straight out of the oven lightly press down on the centers again with a ¼ tsp. (They may have lost their indent a little as they baked.) Scoot a circular cookie cutter/biscuit cutter around each cookie while they are still hot to give them a perfect circular shape, and to get them back to their original smaller size. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for five minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to completely cool.
STEP EIGHT: Once cooled, fill the center of each cookie with about 1 teaspoon of salted caramel, then add a sprinkle of sea salt on top of each cookie.
FAQs
How do I store the cookies? Keep the cookies in an airtight container for up to three days, or freeze for up to two weeks.
Can I use store bought caramel? Yes, absolutely! Just make sure you're using caramel sauce and not soft caramels.
Do I really need to chill the dough? Yes, the dough absolutely needs to be chilled to help the cookies keep their shape better as they bake.
Pro Tips
Measure your flour properly. This is always my #1 baking tip. Do not ever scoop a measuring cup into your flour. This will always lead to using too much flour. Instead, scoop spoonfuls of flour into your measuring cup and swipe excess flour off with the back of a knife. Or better yet, weigh your flour. 1 cup of flour equals 120-125 grams.
When the cookies are straight out of the oven, go around them in a circular motion with a circular cookie cutter. This will help the cookies to go back to their previous smaller size before baking, and it'll give them a perfect circular shape!
Use a ¼ teaspoon to make the indents in the cookie dough. I know these are called "thumbprint" cookies, but a ¼ teaspoon will give you much prettier indents!
If you make these cookies please leave a review, it's so helpful for me! Tag me on Instagram @inbloombakery_ so I can see as well! Follow me on Pinterest for other dessert ideas!
Other Salted Caramel Recipes to Try Next Time
Salted Caramel Apple Pie Cheesecake
Salted Caramel Almond Cupcakes
White Chocolate Salted Caramel Cheesecake
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Caramel Cookies
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cookies
- 1 ½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ½ cup (40 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ cup (168 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (165 g) light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated white sugar
- 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Salted Caramel
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated white sugar
- 5 tablespoon (70 g) salted butter, softened
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼-1/2 teaspoon sea salt (depending on preference)
Instructions
For the Chocolate Cookies
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder together. Then set aside the flour mixture.1 ½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, ½ cup (40 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon sea salt
- In a large bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated white sugar together with an electric mixer on high speed. (You can also use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.)¾ cup (168 g) unsalted butter, softened, ¾ cup (165 g) light brown sugar, packed, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated white sugar
- Add in the egg yolks and vanilla and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1-2. minutes.2 egg yolks, at room temperature, 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until combined.
- Scoop the dough in 32 portions with a tablespoon-size cookie scoop and roll into balls. Directly after rolling into a ball, press each with a ¼ teaspoon to make an indent. Chill the dough for one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees 15 minutes before you're ready to bake the cookies.
- Arrange 12 cookies per large, parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes. (I think 10 is perfect.)When the cookies are straight out of the oven lightly press down on the centers again with a ¼ tsp. (They may have lost their indent a little as they baked.) Scoot a circular cookie cutter/biscuit cutter around each cookie while they are still hot to give them a perfect circular shape, and to get them back to their original smaller size.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for five minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to completely cool.
For the Salted Caramel Sauce
- Add the granulated white sugar to a large sauce pan and heat it over medium low heat. As the sugar is heating it will crystalize and then eventually all melt down and turn golden in color. When most of the sugar has melted, but there are still a few crystalized clumps, turn the heat down to low so the melted sugar doesn't burn. (Melting all the sugar takes around 20 minutes.)1 cup (200 g) granulated white sugar
- Once all the sugar has melted and turned golden in color, add in the butter right away. Stir quickly until the butter is incorporated.5 tablespoon (70 g) salted butter, softened
- Then add in the heavy cream and stir quickly again to incorporate everything together. (At this point if you see the butter and cream start to separate from the sugar turn the heat up to medium low and stir vigorously to combine everything together. This can happen if your butter and cream aren't room temperature.)½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream, at room temperature
- Lastly, add in the sea salt and vanilla and stir to combine.¼-1/2 teaspoon sea salt (depending on preference), 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Let the caramel simmer on low for 2-3 minutes, then remove it from the heat and allow to cool completely before using.
Assembling the Cookies
- Once the cookies are cooled, fill each with a heaping teaspoon of caramel. Sprinkle sea salt on top and serve!
Hello,
Wanting to make this recipe but I'm a little confused as you mention chocolate chips in the pre-amble but never again after that?
Please let me know
Thankyou!
Hi Maree! That was a mistake in the blog post, no chocolate chips needed!
These look great! Wondering if the caramel firms up or remains runny after cooling. Planning to travel with them. Thanks!