Description
These decadent Chocolate Caramel Cookies combine rich, fudgy cocoa cookies with a luscious homemade salted caramel sauce. Perfectly soft yet firm with a touch of salty-sweet caramel center, these cookies are sure to satisfy any chocolate lover’s craving.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Chocolate Cookies:
- 1 1/2 cups (188 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1/2 cup (40 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 3/4 cup (168 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup (165 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated white sugar
- 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
For the Salted Caramel Sauce:
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated white sugar
- 5 tbsp (70 g) salted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt (depending on preference)
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and sea salt. Set aside this dry mixture for later use.
- Cream butter and sugars: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment to cream the softened butter, light brown sugar, and granulated white sugar together on high speed until smooth and combined.
- Add egg yolks and vanilla: Mix in the egg yolks and vanilla extract on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients: Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until combined to form the cookie dough.
- Form cookie dough balls: Scoop the dough into 32 tablespoon-sized portions and roll each into a ball. Press the center of each ball with a 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon to create an indent. Chill the dough balls in the refrigerator for one hour.
- Preheat oven: Fifteen minutes before baking, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Arrange cookies on baking sheets: Line large baking sheets with parchment paper and place 12 cookies per sheet, spacing them apart.
- Bake the cookies: Bake for 9-11 minutes (10 minutes is ideal). As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, press the centers again gently with the 1/4 teaspoon to restore the indent. Use a round cookie or biscuit cutter to gently retrace around each cookie to perfect their shape and shrink them slightly.
- Cool the cookies: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the salted caramel sauce: In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, add the granulated sugar. Let it melt slowly, melting all crystals and turning a golden amber color. When most of the sugar has melted but some crystals remain, reduce heat to low to avoid burning. This process takes about 20 minutes.
- Add butter: Quickly stir in the softened salted butter until fully incorporated.
- Add heavy cream: Stir in the room temperature heavy cream quickly. If the mixture separates, increase heat to medium-low and stir vigorously until smooth again.
- Add vanilla and salt: Stir in vanilla extract and sea salt, adjusting salt quantity between 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon based on taste preference.
- Simmer caramel: Let the caramel simmer gently on low heat for 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat. Allow it to cool completely before using.
- Assemble cookies: Once cookies are cooled, fill each indent with a heaping teaspoon of the cooled salted caramel sauce. Optionally, sprinkle a little sea salt on top before serving.
Notes
- Chilling the dough before baking helps maintain the cookie shape and achieve the perfect texture.
- Make sure your butter and heavy cream are at room temperature to avoid separation in the caramel sauce.
- Use a round cookie cutter after baking to get perfectly shaped cookies and reestablish the indentation.
- The caramel sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Warm slightly before use.
- Be patient when melting the sugar for caramel; rushing the process can cause burning.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 14g
- Sodium: 85mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 35mg
