Description
This recipe makes crispy salted caramel cookies with golden edges and a delightfully chewy center, combining classic comfort with simple indulgence for a quickly disappearing treat.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1.5 cups (180g) all-purpose flour
- 0.5 cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
- 0.5 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 0.75 cup (160g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 0.5 tsp baking soda
- 0.25 tsp fine sea salt
- 0.5 cup (120ml) store-bought caramel sauce
- 0.25 tsp flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with granulated and brown sugars on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. The color should noticeably lighten.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Beat in the egg until fully incorporated, then stir in the vanilla extract. The mixture will look creamy and smooth. Scrape down the sides of your bowl with a spatula to ensure everything combines evenly.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and fine sea salt. Gradually add these dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed until just combined and no streaks of flour remain. If the dough looks dry, add 1-2 teaspoons of milk to bring it together. Do not overmix, or your cookies can become tough!
- Fold in Caramel: Gently fold in the caramel sauce with a spoon, leaving some delightful streaks for a beautiful marbled effect. This ensures pockets of rich caramel in every bite of your chewy oven baked cookies.
- Chill Dough: Cover the dough and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This helps the cookies hold their shape, preventing excessive spreading and ensuring thicker, chewier results.
- Scoop and Bake: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Use a 1.5-inch cookie scoop to drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving ample space between them. Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the centers are set but still look slightly soft and puffed.
- Finish with Salt: As soon as you pull the baking sheet from the oven, immediately sprinkle the flaky sea salt over the hot crispy salted caramel cookies. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes; this helps them firm up before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes helps cookies hold shape and become chewier. A 1.5-inch cookie scoop ensures uniform baking. You can substitute salted butter for unsalted by reducing the fine sea salt by 0.25 tsp.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 11 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (38 g)
- Calories: 180 calories
- Sugar: 16 g
- Sodium: 80 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 11 mg
Keywords: easy dessert, salted caramel, chewy cookies, crispy edges, homemade, baking, sweet-salty