These are truly the best caramel chocolate chip cookies. They're soft, chewy, and have both caramel chips and chocolate chips folded into the batter. This recipes is inspired by my all-time favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and you don't even need a stand mixer!
Why You'll Love These Cookies
- All you need are mixing bowls. Because my recipe uses melted butter, you don't need a stand mixer, just two mixing bowls. This is my favorite way to make cookies and the same method I use with these butterscotch chocolate chip cookies.
- Fresh baked cookies in 30 minutes. It takes just 15 minutes to prep the cookie dough and then they're ready to bake. No chilling required!
- Caramel chips. I used caramel chips along with semi-sweet chocolate chips, giving these cookies the perfect balance of salty sweet.
- Thick cookies. My secret to thick, not thin, cookies? Using corn starch in the cookie dough. The cookies bake up to be thick and chewy (just like these s'mores cookies!).
As a home baker for more than 7+ years now, I LOVE a good chocolate chip cookie. And even more so with having young kids in the house I need a quick recipe.
You should also check out these reese's chocolate chip cookies and salty pistachio chocolate chip cookies for more inspiration!
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Ingredients fOR eASY cARAMEL cHOCOLATE cHIP cOOKIES
- Flour: I used all-purpose flour.
- Corn Starch: Helps the cookies to be soft and tender.
- Butter: Make sure to use unsalted butter and that it's melted and completely cooled.
- Brown Sugar: I used more brown sugar compared to white sugar so the cookies are more chewy and soft.
- Eggs: Use large eggs.
- Caramel: I used caramel chips, which can be found in the baking aisle at your local grocery stores, but you could also use Werther's soft caramels.
- Chocolate Chips: I chose to use chocolate chunks, but you could easily use milk chocolate chips, dark, or semi-sweet chips.
See the recipe card for the full ingredients list and the exact amounts.
How To Make Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
Step 1: In a small bowl, melt the butter and allow it to cool on the counter for at least 10 minutes.
Step 2: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, corn starch, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Step 3: In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until fully combined.
Step 4: Add the flour mixture and use a rubber spatula to gently mix until combined.
Step 5: Then fold in the caramel chips and chocolate chunks.
Step 6: Use a medium-sized cookie scoop (I used my #24) to scoop out the dough and place it on the prepared baking sheets.
Step 7: Bake the cookies for 10-14 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Allow them to cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them over to a wire rack.
Karissa's Baking Tip! If desired, top each cookie with flaky sea salt once out of the oven.
Storing & Freezing
Storage: Keep any leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.
Freezer: Place the cooled cookies onto a baking pan and freeze until solid. Then place them in a freezer-safe container or bag. They can stay frozen for up to 2 months.
Karissa's Home Baking Tips
- Baking Sheet: I like to use this specific baking sheet. Line each pan with parchment paper. I don't recommend silicone baking mats as the cookies may spread too much.
- Melted Butter: Make sure the butter is completely cooled. This takes 20 minutes sitting at room temperature. Don't skip this step or the cookies might overspread.
- Measuring Flour: To help ensure you don’t add extra flour, follow these three simple steps: 1) Fluff up the flour using a fork. 2) Spoon the flour into your measuring cup. 3) Scrape a knife across the top of the measuring cup to level out the flour.
- Cookie Scoop: I used a medium cookie scoop, specifically the #24 scoop, to create bigger bakery-style cookies.
Recipe FAQs
I also like to use a small cookie scoop sometimes (1.5 tablespoons). If you use a smaller one, just note that the bake time will be different.
I find that using melted butter, corn starch, and more brown sugar will make cookies chewier instead of crispy.
Caramel chips work very similarly to chocolate chips and are great. If you want a more intense caramel flavor, I recommend Werther's. You can chop them up into smaller pieces and fold those into the batter.
📖 Recipe
The Best Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- Parchment paper
- Baking Sheets
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted & cooled for at least 10 minutes
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature preferred
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup caramel chips
- ¾ cup chocolate chips (or chunks)
Instructions:
- In a microwaveable-safe bowl, melt the butter and let it cool on the counter for 20 minutes (do not skip this step!).
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, corn starch, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the melted and cooled butter, brown sugar, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until fully combined.
- Add the flour mixture and use a rubber spatula to gently mix into the wet ingredients until combined. Then fold in the caramel chips and chocolate chips.
- Use a medium cookie scoop (I used my #24, which is 2.7 tablespoons) to scoop out the cookie dough. Place the cookie dough balls onto the prepared baking pans and bake for 10-14 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them over to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- The cookies should look slightly underdone on top. They will continue to set up once out of the oven and will become extremely soft and chewy.
- Keep any leftover cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 7 days.
Notes:
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- Baking Sheet: I like to use this specific baking sheet. Line each pan with parchment paper. I don't recommend silicone baking mats as the cookies may spread too much.
- Melted Butter: Make sure the butter is completely cooled. This takes 20 minutes sitting at room temperature. Don't skip this step or the cookies might overspread.
- Measuring Flour: To help ensure you don’t add extra flour, follow these three simple steps: 1) Fluff up the flour using a fork. 2) Spoon the flour into your measuring cup. 3) Scrape a knife across the top of the measuring cup to level out the flour.
- Cookie Scoop: I used a medium cookie scoop, specifically the #24 scoop, to create bigger bakery-style cookies.
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Caramel and chocolate chip come together for the perfect bite inside of these chewy cookies!