These easy salted caramel-stuffed chocolate cookies are soft and chewy filled with melty caramel on the inside. The homemade salted caramel is a soft caramel that you cook to the point that it sets into a chewy salted caramel candy pieces. The recipe yields 12 large chocolate-caramel cookies, but you can scale the size to make more if you like.
Hi hi! Just popping in to share the recipe for these caramel-stuffed chocolate cookies! These came about as a bit of an accident - I had some caramel leftover from making my caramel brownies, and so I made the dough from my super easy chocolate cookies, and stuffed a piece of the leftover caramel inside.
Let me tell you now, this was a very, very good decision. These bake up into soft-baked chocolate cookies, filled with soft and melty caramel on the inside. The recipe makes 12 large chocolate caramel cookies, but you can scale the size back to make more if you like.
How to make Caramel-Stuffed Cookies
These chocolate caramel cookies are super easy to make - there are a few steps, but the workload can be broken up easily.
- Make the caramel. This is a soft caramel, that you cook to the point that it sets into a chewy salted caramel candy. The caramel needs to chill so that it is ready to slice into pieces - it needs at least an hour to chill down, but can be done up to a few days in advance.
- Make the chocolate cookie dough. I usually use my stand mixer for this, but you can also just do it by hand with an electric handheld mixture. It is a super easy cocoa based cookie dough - simply cream the butter and sugar together, add in the egg and dry ingredients and you are good to go.
- Fill the cookies. If you don't want to fill all of them that is fine too - my husband doesn't like caramel much (I know, what on earth!?), so I often leave him a few empty. Once you have shaped the cookie dough, roll them in granulated sugar.
- Bake the cookies. It will feel a bit weird sticking a whole ball of cookie dough into the oven but I promise that they melt down nicely in the oven and you end up with soft, chewy, caramel filled cookies.
How to assemble chocolate caramel cookies
Basically, to assemble these cookies, you are enclosing the chunk of caramel in the cookie dough. Here is how I do it:
- Scoop out the dough. I work with 6 cookies worth at a time, but if your oven can handle two trays of cookies at once you can do this across two half baking sheets. Scoop out the dough using a #24 cookie scoop, or weigh out 75g balls.
- Flatten the dough. Work with one piece of dough at a time. Flatten it slightly, then press the piece of caramel into the middle.
- Enclose the caramel. Squish the cookie dough back up around the piece of caramel, ensuring that it is covering it completely and there aren't any pieces poking out.
- Shape the dough ball. Shape the dough ball back into a round ish shape (it is ok if it is a little oval shaped to make sure that the dough is surrounding the caramel piece
- Roll in sugar. I love rolling my cookies in granulated sugar to give an amazing sparkly finish to them.
Can I use store bought caramels in this recipe?
I haven't tried making these with anything other than the homemade caramels sorry! I assume that they would work stuffed with store bought caramel but I haven't tried it.
If you do decide to try, use the soft squares of caramel - a hard caramel will not work.
Bakery Style Chocolate Cookies
These chocolate caramel cookies are large and in charge - my regular chocolate cookie recipe makes about 20 cookies (using a size #40 scoop), and this recipe makes 12 larger cookies.
I have not tried to scale the recipe back to make smaller cookies but I am sure that it will work - you will need to cut down the size of the caramel to ensure that it all fits inside the dough ball and has enough coverage around the outside.
Make sure that if you scale the recipe back you also drop back the baking time to ensure that you do not have a dry cookie. If you can, make them the same size as written in the recipe, as it gives you a super soft gooey middle and a nice caramel centre.
How do you store caramel-stuffed cookies?
Store these cookies once baked in an airtight container. I prefer to store them at room temperature so that the caramel is soft, but if you prefer it to be firmer then you can also pop them into the fridge. They should keep for 3-4 days.
If you want to re-warm the cookies before serving to melt the caramel slightly, you can do this in the microwave. They will be amazing with a scoop of ice cream on top to go with the melty caramel!
Can the cookie dough be frozen?
I haven't tried baking these from frozen but I know that it works with my chocolate cookie recipe so it *should* work ok - I will give it a try and get back to you!
For all my tips and tricks on freezing dough, check out my post: How to freeze cookie dough and bake from frozen
Frequently Asked Questions
What tools and equipment do you use?
You can find a full list of the tools and equipment I use on my products page
What size cookie scoop did you use?
I used a #24 cookie scoop, which holds 2 ½ Tbsp. Alternatively you can measure out the dough into 75g balls. If you want to scale them down (these are large cookies), you will need to change the size of the caramel piece you put in the middle, and reduce the baking time slightly.
For more homemade cookie recipes, check out:
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Answers to your baking questions
Over the years, many of you have asked me questions about:
- baking in grams
- adjusting oven temperatures
- what kind of salt to use
- and many more!
I've curated and answered them all for your easy reference in this frequently asked questions post!
Easy Caramel-Stuffed Chocolate Cookies
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 12 cookies 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These easy salted caramel-stuffed chocolate cookies are soft and chewy filled with melty caramel on the inside. The homemade salted caramel is a soft caramel that you cook to the point that it sets into a chewy salted caramel candy pieces. The recipe yields 12 large chocolate-caramel cookies, but you can scale the size to make more if you like.
Ingredients
Salted Caramel
- 90g unsalted butter, cold from the fridge is fine
- One 395g tin sweetened condensed milk
- 185g brown sugar
- 50g golden syrup (see notes)
- 2g (¾ tsp) salt
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Chocolate Cookie Dough
- 300g all-purpose flour
- 50g dutch process cocoa powder, sifted (I used half black cocoa and half Dutch process to give the super dark colour)
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- 225g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 200g brown sugar
- 100g granulated sugar
- 1 large egg (50g not including the shell), at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- Granulated Sugar for Rolling
Instructions
SALTED CARAMELS
- Grease and line an 8" (20cm) square pan with parchment paper, leaving the parchment extending over the sides of the pan to form a sling to remove the caramel with later. Secure with binder clips if desired.
- In a medium sized heavy bottom saucepan, combine the butter, condensed milk, brown sugar, and golden syrup.
- Place over medium high heat, stir until melted together, and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly (I like to use a whisk then switch to a rubber spatula) until the caramel registers 240°f / 120°c on a thermometer. Watch the bottom carefully to avoid the mixture catching, turning down the heat if needed or removing the caramel from the heat, stirring well, then returning to the heat.
- Once the caramel has reached the correct temperature, remove from the heat, and add the salt and vanilla. Mix well to combine, then transfer to the prepared pan. Shake to evenly distribute the caramel.
- Chill the caramel for at least an hour, or until you can no longer feel heat in it. This step can be done up to two days in advance.
- Remove the caramel from the pan using the parchment paper sling. Using a sharp knife, cut into a 5x5 grid, to give you approximately 4cm squares of caramel. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until you are ready to use. Store leftover caramels in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
CHOCOLATE COOKIE DOUGH
- Preheat the oven to 350°f / 180°c. Line two baking trays with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat until combined. Add the flour and cocoa mixture, and beat on low until just incorporated.
- Using a #24 cookie scoop, scoop balls about 3 Tbsp in size (about 75g). I do 6 per sheet - these are large cookies and I prefer to bake them one sheet at a time, but if you
- Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll it into a ball, then flatten slightly with your hands. Press a square of caramel onto the dough, and carefully mould the dough around the caramel to fully enclose it. You will end up with a slightly flattened ball of dough.
- Repeat with the remaining balls of dough.
- Roll all the balls of dough generously in granulated sugar, then arrange on the prepared baking pan, leaving adequate spacing between each.
- Bake the cookies for 12-13 minutes, until the edges and tops are set. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Repeat the baking process with the remainder of the dough.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Notes
I use golden syrup in the caramel. It acts as in invert sugar to help the caramel stay smooth. If you don't have access to it, you can use honey or light corn syrup instead
You will have leftover caramel - the recipe doesn't use a full batch. This is delicious eaten just as is. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
If you only have salted butter that is fine, just reduce or omit the salt in the cookie dough recipe.
Keywords: Caramel, Caramel stuffed cookies, chocolate cookies, caramel recipe
Comments
I wish I could give this recipe 15 stars!! Soooo delicious. I also went rogue and made your snickerdoodles to surround the other half of the caramel pieces, and hoooooly cow. Those spread a bit too much but I think it’s because it’s really hot in my kitchen and the butter was too soft. But holy. Cow. Your recipes are impeccable, as always!!
★★★★★
so amazing!
★★★★★
The best combo! I love that there's extra caramel to snack on 🙂
★★★★★
Wow - these are FANTASTIC! The caramel on the inside is such a nice surprise and the chocolate cookie is delightfully chocolatey! I want to make these again and again and again.