If you love chocolate and salty caramel, these Chocolate Caramel Cookies will quickly become your favorite cookies ever. The rich cocoa balances the caramel center, and the crunchy pecans take each bite to the next level.
Recipe Essentials
- 🍽️ Course: Dessert
- ⏱️ Cooking Time: 12 minutes
- 🍴 Servings: 12
- 🧄 Flavor Profile: Rich, fudgy, and loaded with gooey caramel. Deep chocolate flavor with a buttery sweetness.
- 🍚 Best Served With: Goes perfectly with a glass of milk or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Or try pairing with a cup of espresso for a fancy little treat.
- 🧊 Make Ahead?: Yes, chill the dough or freeze the cookie balls for later.
Summarize and Save This Content On
I like to make these as a special treat or just because! These cookies are so delicious that you don't need a reason to make them. They are the best when freshly baked, and I'm getting hungry just thinking about taking a bite of one of these caramel fudge cookies.
More decadent chocolate caramel desserts include caramel brownie trifle and chocolate caramel poke cake.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's easy to customize: This cookie recipe is super easy to make your own! Whether that's mix-ins, flavored caramels, or whatever you come up with!
- It's a crowd-pleaser: Everyone loves these dark chocolate caramel cookies so much that they always ask for the recipe, so be ready to share it.
- It's not too expensive: The ingredients used are pretty affordable, so you don't have to worry about breaking the bank to make this treat.
Ingredients
Below are the essential ingredients needed for this chocolate caramel cookie recipe. You can find all of these items in the baking aisle of the grocery store, except butter!
- Butter: Ensure that your butter is softened to room temperature, so it mixes well with the sugar. I use salted, but if you use unsalted, add a pinch of salt to balance the sweetness of the other ingredients used in the cookie dough.
- Sugar: I love the combination of white and brown sugar in this recipe, as it keeps the center of the caramel chocolate cookies perfectly soft and chewy.
- Cocoa powder: The rich and decadent flavor of Dutch cocoa is my favorite, but you may use any cocoa powder on hand.
- Pecans: Chopped pecans add lovely texture to the cookies. If you don't like nuts, leave them out!
- Caramels: I usually use the Kraft caramels, but any soft caramel candy will work great. Check the baking aisle at your local grocery store and use whatever you can find.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Double chocolate: Fold in some semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips into the cookie dough to make a double chocolate version.
- Switch the nuts: Use walnuts or peanuts instead of pecans for a slightly different flavor and texture.
- Cinnamon: Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the cookie dough to add a subtle spiced flavor to the cookies.
Check out these double chocolate soft espresso cookies if recipes like this are your thing.
How to Make Caramel-Filled Chocolate Cookies
To get started, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line the cookie sheet with parchment paper. Then, you're ready to make your cookie dough for your caramel chocolate cookies.
Step 1: Combine the wet ingredients. Add the butter and sugar to a mixing bowl and beat them until they're creamy. Then, beat in the egg until the mixture is smooth.
Step 2: Add the dry ingredients. Pour in the dry ingredients and whisk until well incorporated. Then, fold in the pecans.
Step 3: Form the cookies. Now you can scoop the dough with a cookie scoop and place a caramel into the center of each ball. Next, fold over the dough to cover the caramels completely.
Step 4: Bake and cool. Put the pan into the preheated oven and bake the cookies for about 12 minutes. Allow them to cool and enjoy a caramel chocolate cookie!
Recipe Tips
- Don't let the dough get warm: If the cookie dough gets warm, it makes the cookies spread too much. Pop the dough into the fridge for a few minutes to chill if needed.
- Freeze the unbaked cookie balls: You may freeze the cookies unbaked if you like, too. Form them, and then place them into a freezer bag with parchment layers. They will stay fresh for up to 6 months.
- Accurately measure the flour: Level off the flour in the measuring cup to ensure it's accurately measured. You may even use a scale. This keeps your cookies from becoming too dry.
If you want more caramel and chocolate cookies, you should try caramel cookie bars.
Storage Directions
- Storing: Keep your cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. You may store them in the refrigerator; just keep in mind that the caramel center may be firm. Freeze your cookies for up to 4 months.
- Make ahead: Make your chocolate caramel cookie dough up to 24 hours in advance and keep it in the refrigerator until you're ready to form and bake the cookies.
Serving Suggestions
- Prepare a tasty hot chocolate to enjoy with one of these chocolate caramel cookies. Use these homemade hot chocolate truffles or try a cinnamon hot chocolate for a fun twist.
- Enjoy a scoop of ice cream like monster cookie ice cream or birthday cake ice cream on the side, or make a unique and indulgent ice cream sandwich.
- Are you craving even more caramel? Pair your cookie with a caramel milkshake!
Recipe FAQs
You have to make sure that each caramel square is completely covered in cookie dough, or the caramel will leak out as the cookies bake.
Be careful not to overmix the cookie dough, or it can make the cookies dense. Once all the ingredients are combined, it's done.
The centers of the cookies will be soft-set because of the caramel center. If you overbake the cookies, they will become dry and crumbly, ruining the caramel's consistency. Once the edges are fully set, they're ready to come out of the oven.
More Delicious Cookie Recipes
Do you like cookie recipes? Here are some recipes you may also like to try.
If you try this recipe and love it please leave a star rating in the recipe card below or even better, drop a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube for more easy recipes!
Chocolate Caramel Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter softened
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 12 caramels
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Add your softened butter, brown sugar, and white granulated sugar to a large mixing bowl. Use an electric hand mixer to cream the ingredients together for about 3 minutes, or until smooth.
- Whisk in the egg until it is fully incorporated with the creamed butter mixture.
- Gently whisk in the cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and flour. Make sure no pockets of dry ingredients remain in the cookie dough and then fold in the chopped pecans.
- Use a standard size cookie scoop to divide your cookie dough into 12 evenly sized balls. Place a caramel in the center of each ball and fold the cookie dough over so that the caramel is completely covered.
- Bake your cookies for 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack. Enjoy!
Notes
- Be careful not to overbake the cookies, or they will be dry and crumbly. It's normal for the center to still be very soft because of the caramel centers.
- Cover each caramel square completely with the cookie dough, or you risk caramel leaking out at the cookies bake.
- If you find that the cookie dough is getting very warm as you're preparing it, stick it in the fridge for a few minutes to chill before you form and bake the cookies to prevent them from spreading too much.
Leave a Reply