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Salted Caramel Cookies

Salted caramel cookies are soft-centered, chewy cookies baked with caramel bits and finished with flaky sea salt. Chilling the dough helps the cookies bake with golden edges and centers that stay slightly soft.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Chilling and cooling 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 2 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 150
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 0.75 cup light brown sugar packed
  • 0.5 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg large, at room temperature
  • 1 egg yolk large, at room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2.25 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp fine salt
  • 1 cup caramel bits
  • 0.5 tsp flaky sea salt

Equipment

  • 2 baking sheets
  • 1 electric mixer

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and fine salt.
  4. In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
  5. Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until combined.
  6. Add the flour mixture and mix on low just until no dry streaks remain.
  7. Fold in the caramel bits.
  8. Cover and chill the dough for 30 minutes.
  9. Scoop the dough into 2-tablespoon portions and arrange 12 portions on each prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between them.
  10. Bake both sheets for 10 to 12 minutes, switching their positions halfway through, until the edges are golden and the centers still look slightly soft.
  11. Sprinkle the cookies with flaky sea salt as soon as they come out of the oven.
  12. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes.
  13. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack.

Notes

For chewy cookies, chill the dough for the full 30 minutes and avoid baking past the point when the centers still look slightly soft. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days; baked cookies can be frozen. For a dairy-free variation, use dairy-free butter and dairy-free caramel bits.