Chocolate Salted Caramel Cookies

Chocolate Salted Caramel Cookies

It’s been a while since I made cookies, but I hope these make up for it!

Do you have a list of things you want to bake that’s about 17 miles long? I sure do. For at least a year and a half, I’ve wanted to bake these. The base recipe is in the Sally’s Baking Addiction cookbook (the first one), and I made one or two minimal adjustments, which I’ll explain later.

Suffice it to say, these don’t disappoint. They’re thick, chewy, and fudgy. Plus, they’re sprinkled with sea salt. Can a cookie get any better?

Chocolate Salted Caramel Cookies

In case you haven’t read enough food blogs by writers who live on the East Coast in the U.S., it’s been searing hot this summer. We’ve broken records (excluding the desert regions of the country) into the 100s in the D.C. area, and it’s been pretty oppressive.

This week, we’ve been doing the whole water park circuit to try and cool off. Water parks are fun to a degree, but I honestly can’t spend the day at one like some people do. Really, I have no idea how they can stay in one of those places for so long.

Chocolate Salted Caramel Cookies

For one, it’s hot and there’s not much shade, so no matter how much sunscreen you slather on, the sunburns are inevitable. For another, it’s crowded. People are screaming and splashing and crashing into one another right and left. My youngest doesn’t like to be splashed, so water parks are like a circle of the Inferno for her.

And then there’s the inevitable clearing of the water park when some kid eventually either vomits or does something very similar into the water supply. It happens more than I would like to think about. Suffice it to say that my bias against water parks isn’t exactly unfounded.

Chocolate Salted Caramel Cookies

Having said that, they do help beat this heat a bit. So let’s give a big shout-out to the water parks, everyone!

Now I can move on to the bigger shout-out. I’ve been reading Sally’s blog along with the rest of the world for many years, and I’ve never thrown her any love on my own blog. She’s probably too bigtime to notice that I’m doing this, but I wanted to make these cookies and I think she’s awesome. So there you go.

Chocolate Salted Caramel Cookies

The only big change I made here (and it’s not big) was using regular plain caramels in the center instead of Rolos. There was really no reason for that, except that I was out of Rolos. I think I ate them all myself.

The other change is that I waited to sprinkle the salt on the cookies until right after they came out of the oven. While the salt won’t stick as well, it doesn’t melt into the cookie, either. I like my salt freshly sprinkled. It’s just my thang.

Chocolate Salted Caramel Cookies

If you’re amid this crazy wave of searing heat, I hope you get some relief in some cool oasis. Or hey, if you’re in a pinch, try a water park. But just for a few hours. Any more than that is singular torture. See if you can sneak some cookies in with you. It’ll make the day much more bearable!

 

Chocolate Salted Caramel Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup chocolate chips
18 unwrapped caramels (or you can use Rolos)
sea salt

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, mixing until fully blended.
  3. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet mixture until smoothly incorporated. Add the milk and mix once more. The dough will be sticky.
  4. Using a spatula, fold in the chocolate chips.
  5. Cover the dough and chill for at least two hours.
  6. When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350. Line two cookie sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
  7. Take the dough out of the fridge and let it sit a few minutes. Take out the caramels.
  8. Place each caramel in a ball of dough about a tablespoon in size. Cover it with another ball of dough, being sure to cover the caramel completely.
  9. Place each cookie on the prepared sheets about two inches apart.
  10. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Do not leave them in any longer. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with sea salt.
  11. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
http://justaboutbaked.com/chocolate-salted-caramel-cookies/

Mir

I fulfill many roles in life: wife, mother, teacher, everlasting learner. This site is dedicated to one role that expresses my creativity in ways that I find consistently challenging and rewarding: baker. Inventing new ways to enhance food, especially if that food involves chocolate or peanut butter (or both!), is a passion of mine. I look forward to sharing my ideas with you.

This Post Has 24 Comments

  1. Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust

    My list of things to bake is about a mile long and I know I”ll never get to them all! I love these!
    Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust recently posted…Fudgy Brownie CookiesMy Profile

    1. Mir

      Never ever. The list is endless. But at least I’ve got one down!

  2. Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice

    I definitely have a list about 10 miles long of everything I want to make…and it just keeps growing! I would definitely make these cookies asap though. Love the chocolate and salted caramel combo!
    Gayle @ Pumpkin ‘N Spice recently posted…Blueberry Almond Butter Energy BitesMy Profile

    1. Mir

      My list keeps growing too. It’s kind of scary how little time there is to bake everything I wanna bake!

  3. Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom

    this summer has been crazy hot everywhere . . but yeah, the east coast got it bad huh? LOVE LOVE LOVE these cookies. . and although I don’t read a ton of baking blogs, I do know Sally’s and I love it! and these cookies!!!!
    Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom recently posted…Sushi Burrito + A Video!My Profile

    1. Mir

      Everyone loves Sally! She makes the best cookies. I had to try these!

  4. Rachel @ Bakerita

    I’m loving these beautiful caramel filled cookies! Especially with the sprinkle of flaky sea salt…yum! Such perfection.
    Rachel @ Bakerita recently posted…Mozzarella Heirloom Tomato Galette with Parmesan Crust (Gluten Free + Grain Free)My Profile

    1. Mir

      That sprinkle of salt always gets me very happy, Rachel!

  5. annie@ciaochowbambina

    Chocolate. Caramel. Salt. Be still my heart!
    annie@ciaochowbambina recently posted…Gnocchi with Zucchini, Fresh Herbs and Ricotta SalataMy Profile

    1. Mir

      My thoughts exactly!

  6. Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary

    Gah, it has been so so SOOOO hot here, Mir! Like, I walk outside and immediately start sweating bucks. It is disgusting for sure. And I’m with you on water parks. They are okay, but too much kiddie pee and why is there no shade anywhere?! I’d much rather stay indoors with the AC and devour these cookies! I’m a HUGE salted caramel lover, so these beauties look amazing! And i’m with you on the fresh sprinkling of sea salt on top!!! SOOO GOOD! I’ll need about 4 dozen. 😉 Cheers, girlie!
    Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary recently posted…Jalapeno & Roasted Strawberry BBQ Baby Back RibsMy Profile

    1. Mir

      It’s been super gross, and my AC at work is actually broken. Help. Me!

  7. Cakespy

    YES PLEASE. This is a dream cookie for sure!!
    Cakespy recently posted…A Visual Guide to Fruit DessertsMy Profile

    1. Mir

      I see we have the same dream, Jessie!

  8. Shashi @ RunninSrilankan

    From all I’ve been hearing it’s hotter than hot in the northeast and while still hot here in Atlanta, it doesn’t seem to be quite so bad as the northeast has been! I sure do share your initial bias towards water parks. Mir – when my daughter was younger – we were there when bodily fluids were ejected into the water supply and guess what – we haven’t been back to one since – though rivers are another story.
    Now – about these cookies, wow – they sure do look fantastic! Love the height and oooh that caramelly center! Thanks so much for sharing Sallys recipe with us!
    Shashi @ RunninSrilankan recently posted…Coconut Oat Pecan Breakfast CookiesMy Profile

    1. Mir

      Yep, water parks are so gross. I’m done with them, Shashi! Ha. I wish. My kids love them!

  9. Manali@CookWithManali

    haha yeah I have the same long list, it never ends! the cookies sound fabulous, salted caramel is love!!
    Manali@CookWithManali recently posted…Baba GanoushMy Profile

    1. Mir

      Totally love. Salted caramel is the best invention EVER.

  10. Kate @ Framed Cooks

    Yep, SAME on both the long list of things to bake and the hazyhothumid Northeast weather, with no end in sight. I need ALL THE COOKIES….that first picture with the caramel right in the center? Be still my heart. Happy cool comfy weekend, Mir!

    1. Mir

      It’s been SOOOO hot. When does it end? Soon, I’m sure!

  11. Amanda

    I didn’t even like water parks as a kid. I felt like you only got about a foot of space to swim in. No thanks.
    These cookies are pretty much everything I want in a dessert. I kind of want to be really naughty and turn one into an ice cream sandwich with caramel ice cream. Or just eat about ten of them.
    Amanda recently posted…Cinnamon Raisin Quick BreadMy Profile

    1. Mir

      They’re so crowded, I know! And everyone is crashing into everyone else. I’m not a fan!

  12. Mary @ LOVE the secret ingredient

    It’s deadly out there! Waiting for the subway is an exercise in avoiding dehydration it’s so hot. Love these cookies to take my mind off of it for a while!
    Mary @ LOVE the secret ingredient recently posted…A Wedding in TuscanyMy Profile

    1. Mir

      Seriously. Dehydration is such a risk in these temps. And waiting for the subway always is awful anyway!

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