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Soft and chewy caramel cookies sprinkled with a little bit of sea salt. The perfect combination of sweet and salty in one delicious cookie!

These cookies remind us of an old favorite—Milky Way Caramel Cookies! They have all the same flavors with gooey caramel and just a hint of chocolate and salt. This one has become one of our new favorite cookie recipes!

Salted caramel cookies stacked on a white plate
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Caramel in Cookies?! Yes, please!

We love caramel, we love cookies, and wanted to combine the two. So here we are with the most delicious cookie we could think of.

These bad boys are filled with soft caramel candies, chocolate chips, and caramel chips. We also like to sprinkle a little coarse salt on top after the cookies are done baking (hello salted caramel!!).

I love caramel in the fall and this recipe is perfect for these autumn months. With the leaves changing and the weather cooling down, it’s the right time to bake up a batch of these tasty caramel cookies.

caramel candies unwrapped and chopped to go in caramel cookies

We have a SECRET for perfect caramel cookies: So it’s not a runny messy, here’s what you have to do:

Right when the cookies come out of the oven, press 3 caramel pieces into the top of each cookie and then sprinkle with coarse salt.

The caramels will melt and the salt will set in. If needed, place the cookies back into the oven for an additional minute to help the caramel pieces melt in the cookie.

We also added caramel chips into the cookie dough which made them even more caramel-y.

close up of caramel cookies on baking sheet

How to Make + Bake

Make sure your oven is preheated to 350 degrees.

DOUGH. In a bowl, add the flour, baking soda, and the salt. Mix it together and set the dry ingredients aside. In a separate bowl, or a mixing bowl, beat together the brown sugar, butter, and white sugar until it’s all creamed together.

Add in the eggs, one at a time, and beat until fluffy. Add the vanilla and mix well. Then, add in the dry ingredients to the sugar mixture. Mix until dough is combined. Fold in the chocolate and caramel chips to the cookie dough.

BAKE. Roll the dough into 1 1/2 inch-2 inch balls and place onto a baking sheet. Bake the cookies for 12-13 minutes. Do not over-bake these! You want them to be nice and chewy.

CARAMEL. Right when the cookies come out of the oven, press 3 caramel pieces into the top of each cookie and then sprinkle with coarse salt.

The cookies will turn out so soft and chewy without being overly gooey!

If you have LEFTOVERS (which we highly doubt), you can store in a Ziploc bag or air-tight container. The dough can also be made AHEAD OF TIME up to 24 hours and dough can be FROZEN too. We just recommend letting it thaw in the fridge overnight and then still waiting to add the caramel bits and salt to the dough after baking.

Salted caramel cookies with chocolate and caramel chips

For more classic cookies, check out:

5 from 26 votes

Caramel Cookies Recipe

By: Lil’ Luna
Soft and chewy caramel cookies sprinkled with a little bit of sea salt. The perfect combination of sweet and salty in one delicious cookie!
Servings: 36
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 12 minutes
Total: 22 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 3 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp coarse salt
  • 1 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 1 cup caramel chips
  • 18 caramel candies such as Werther’s, each piece cut into 6 segments

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F
  • In a bowl add flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix.
  • In a separate bowl, or a mixing bowl, beat together brown sugar, butter, and white sugar until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until fluffy. Add the vanilla and mix.  
  • Add the dry ingredients to the sugar mixture. Mix until dough is combined.
  • Fold in the chocolate and caramel chips. Roll the dough into 1 1/2 inch-2 inch balls and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 12-13 minutes,
  • Right when the cookies come out of the oven press 3 caramel pieces into the top of each cookie and then sprinkle with coarse salt. The caramels will melt and the salt will set in. If needed, place the cookies back into the oven for an additional minute to help the caramel pieces melt in the cookie. 

Nutrition

Calories: 177kcal, Carbohydrates: 27g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 23mg, Sodium: 122mg, Potassium: 40mg, Sugar: 18g, Vitamin A: 185IU, Calcium: 26mg, Iron: 0.7mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

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5 from 26 votes (16 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




15 Comments

  1. Colleen Dodd says:

    Great recipe! We LOVE soft, chewy cookies like these. 🙂

  2. Natalie says:

    5 stars
    These were so good!! I love the caramel pieces in them, with the caramel chips & chocolate chips & the salt on top, is a bonus!! They were gone in minutes!

  3. Kristina says:

    5 stars
    These were so good! Word of advice dont try to “save” time by adding the caramel pieCes before baking. They become a mess. ?

  4. Olivia says:

    5 stars
    These cookies aRe so delicious. I especially like the chunks of caramel!

  5. Betsy says:

    5 stars
    dELICIOUS RECIPE! i’VE MADE ONE SIMILAR TO THIS A NUMBER OF TIMES, BUT WITH PRETZELS ADDED INTO THE BATTER. i LOVE THE CARAMELS, CHOCOLATE, AND SALT! pERFECT COMBINATION!

  6. Erin says:

    5 stars
    THE CARAMEL TRICK IS KEY, THESE ARE PERFECT AND DISAPPEAR SO FAST!

  7. Katie says:

    5 stars
    The chunks of caramel make these to die for! We love them around here.

  8. Paige says:

    5 stars
    WOW and yum all at the same time! What a super cute idea and I think these look so tasty too!

  9. Billy says:

    5 stars
    THESE ARE THE EASIEST TO MAKE MOST DELICIOUS COOKIES EVER! THE CARAMEL IN THERE JUST TAKES IT OVER THE TOP AND IS THE PERFECT COMBO WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS.

  10. Joy says:

    5 stars
    I love the chunks of caramel!! These were soft & so good!!