Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

It’s a high claim, but these are one of my favorite chocolate chip cookies—and this recipe is made with Trader Joe’s caramel sea salt baking chips! Each bite has a sweet, caramelly flavor thanks to the Trader Joe’s caramel chips but with zero mess (unlike if I tried to make these using my salted caramel sauce). For the best flavor, I like to make these caramel chocolate chip cookies with both caramel baking chips and chocolate chips (or chopped dark chocolate). The dark chocolate adds a nice bitterness that complements the sweet caramel perfectly.

I remain convinced that the best chocolate chip cookies are crispy and chewy, like these dark chocolate chip cookies, so this recipe makes cookies with crisp edges and chewy centers. It feels like a little gift anytime you bite into one of the caramel sea salt chips. My friends have loved these salted caramel chip cookies, so I thought it was time I share my recipe with you all!

Note: This is not the recipe on the back of the Trader Joe’s caramel chips bag. That one includes pecans, and this is a nut-free caramel chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Ingredients for Trader Joe’s Caramel Chip Cookies

The key thing for these cookies is to accentuate the caramel baking chips. To do that, I use a fairly standard cookie recipe that’s well-balanced in flavor and texture. Then, I add dark or semisweet chocolate chips to add a little bitterness to counter the sweet caramel baking chips. See each ingredient listed below for its purpose and common substitutions, if needed.

• All-purpose flour. Standard flour has the right amount of protein for cookies. To make these caramel chip cookies gluten-free, I’d recommend using a 1:1 gluten-free flour, though I have not personally tested that adaptation.
• Salt. Just a pinch helps to enhance all the flavors—especially in the salted caramel chips!
• Baking soda and baking powder. A mix of both leavening agents helps these cookies rise a little and brown a little for crispy edges and chewy centers.
• Butter. Salted is my go-to for cookies, as I think gives the cookies the best flavor, but you’re welcome to use unsalted if you prefer.
• Granulated and brown sugar. A mix of both sugars helps these cookies spread the right amount and keeps them moist on the inside.
• Vanilla extract. I love using Trader Joe’s double fold vanilla extract in this recipe because it’s twice as strong as regular vanilla, but any vanilla extract will add a nice flavor.
• Egg. The protein in the egg white and the fats in the yolk help the cookie dough hold together perfectly.
• Caramel baking chips. I made this recipe to use up my Trader Joe’s caramel sea salt baking chips. If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s near you, King Arthur also makes caramel baking chips.
• Semisweet or dark chocolate chips. I chopped up a dark Trader Joe’s Pound Plus bar, but their dark chocolate chips (or any dark chocolate chips!) would work nicely, too. Milk chocolate chips may be a little too sweet for some palates.

How to Make Salted Caramel Chip Cookies

These chocolate chip cookies with caramel baking chips aren’t difficult to make, and they don’t require any fancy techniques. I use a stand mixer, but you’re welcome to use a hand mixer and a large bowl if that’s more convenient for you!

Creaming the Butter and Sugar

For cookies with a little chew in the center, it’s good to cream together butter and sugar for a few minutes before anything else. This incorporates air into the cookie dough and helps the cookies hold their shape while baking.

Beat the butter and both sugars on medium speed for about three minutes, until the mixture looks well-combined and somewhat fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl once to make sure there are no hidden pockets of butter.

Then, add in your egg and vanilla extract. I like to use double fold vanilla extract with cookies when I can, because it adds twice as much vanilla flavor without extra liquid. I get mine from Trader Joe’s, usually when I pick up their caramel sea salt baking chips!

Beat until the mixture is really nice and fluffy, making sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl once more. If you forget to scrape down the sides, the cookie dough may not mix properly, which can result in some cookies having too much egg and others not having enough.

Adding the Dry Ingredients

Stir the salt and baking powder and soda into the flour (a quick swirl will do), then add the flour mixture to the bowl with the cookie dough so far. Beat on low until you see most of the flour disappear. You may have some still on the sides of the bowl; that’s okay!

Scrape down the sides of the bowl one last time, then add in your caramel and chocolate chips. I used chopped dark chocolate to get those melty and delicious pools of chocolate. Chocolate chips are an easier and faster option if you don’t feel like breaking out a knife and cutting board. (Trust me, I would have used the chips, too, if I wasn’t taking fancy pictures of these cookies today.)

Stir by hand with a spatula or on low with your stand or hand mixer until the chips look pretty evenly combined. Then, the worst part: Chilling.

Chilling cookie dough serves two purposes: It both hardens the butter in the cookie, preventing it from spreading quite as much in the oven, and it also helps the flour hydrate. That hydrated flour bakes up more evenly than less-hydrated flour, and the flavor is slightly improved, too. Just half an hour in the fridge is enough to tell a noticeable difference, and I highly recommend it!

Scooping the Caramel Chip Cookies

Once the dough has chilled in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days, scoop it into medium-sized dough balls. Place them on a lined baking sheet about 3″ (7 cm) apart to give them ample room to spread without running into each other. I usually get about 14 cookies out of this recipe, and I put 7 cookies each on half-sheet cookie trays.

Baking the Caramel Chip Cookies

I always recommend baking cookies in the center rack of your oven so that the tops and bottoms bake evenly. Baking them at 375°F/190°C helps the edges to caramelize a little more than at the traditional 350°F/175°C, and they bake up a minute or two faster!

For the most consistent results, bake these cookies one tray at a time. But if you prefer, you may bake both trays at the same time. Just swap the pans halfway through the bake time so the tops and bottoms bake at approximately the same rate. Note that the cookies on the bottom rack may spread more than the cookies on the top rack.

Tips for Picture-Perfect Cookies

As a food blogger, it’s kind of my job to make food look pretty! Here are my two favorite food-safe tricks for making picture-perfect cookies:

• Add extra chocolate chips or caramel chips on the outside of your cookies before baking. This makes sure you have a few sticking out most of the way to signal the flavor inside.
• Use a circle cutter or wide-mouthed drinking glass to shape the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven. I swirl the cookie inside the cutter a couple times until it looks perfectly round. You still get those crispy edges and chewy centers, but they end up almost perfectly circular!

FAQs about Cookies Made with Caramel Baking Chips

Other Recipes You May Enjoy

If you’re in a cookie mood, you’re in the right place!

My grandma’s oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are made with rolled oats and semisweet chocolate chips. They stay pretty thick and are chockful of oats, which is the best part!

I recently shared a double chocolate chip cookie recipe that my readers have loved. They’re full of chocolate chips and cocoa powder for a deep cocoa-y flavor in every bite. And yes, they’re also crispy on the edges and chewy in the centers like these cookies!

Dish Cleanup: A Lil Messy

I rate my recipe cleanups on a scale of 1 to 5. 1 is only a handful of dishes, and 5 is everything including the kitchen sink.

This caramel chip cookie recipe has a cleanup rating of a 4 if you use chopped chocolate and a 3 if you use chocolate chips. The knife and cutting board add a couple larger dishes. If you stick with chocolate chips, there’s just the mixing bowl, some measuring cups/bowls, and a spatula. If handwashing the cookie dough bowl, I recommend using warm to hot water, as it will quickly rinse away any cookie dough residue!

Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Thanks so much for stopping by!
If you make these cookies with Trader Joe’s caramel chips and love them, please don’t forget to leave a review to let others know how it turned out.

5 from 3 votes

Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

Author: Alyssa Adams of The Floral Apron

Made with Trader Joe's caramel sea salt baking chips, these are the easiest and best caramel chocolate chip cookies! Each one bakes up with crispy edges and a chewy center, along with salted caramel baking chips and chocolate chips in every bite.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time:20 minutes mins

Cook Time:12 minutes mins

Chill Time:30 minutes mins

Total Time:1 hour hr 2 minutes mins

Course: Cookies

Cuisine: American

Servings: 14 cookies

Ingredients

 

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• ▢ 1 ½ cups (195 g) all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 8 Tbsp (113 g) butter at room temperature (½ cup, or 1 stick)
• ▢ ½ cup (105 g) brown sugar packed
• ▢ ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract like Trader Joe's double fold vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 large egg at room temperature
• ▢ ½ cup (95 g) caramel baking chips like Trader Joe's caramel and sea salt baking chips
• ▢ ½ cup (85 g) semisweet or dark chocolate chips

Instructions

Making the Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
   1 ½ cups (195 g) all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or large bowl, if using a hand mixer), cream together the butter and both sugars for 3 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy.
   8 Tbsp (113 g) butter, ½ cup (105 g) brown sugar, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
3. Add in the egg and vanilla extract. Beat for another 2 minutes until the mixture is even fluffier. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to ensure even mixing.
   1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4. Add in the flour mixture and beat together until incorporated, about 1 minute. The dough will be thick.
5. Add in the caramel chips and chocolate chips, and beat on low or stir together with a spatula until the chips are evenly dispersed. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days, whenever you are ready to bake.
   ½ cup (95 g) caramel baking chips, ½ cup (85 g) semisweet or dark chocolate chips

Baking the Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C, and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Scoop the cookies into 2" (5 cm) balls and place 3" (7 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheets.* If desired, press a few more chips into the tops of each cookie.
3. Bake in the center rack for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are dark brown and the center looks set. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the pan for at least 10 minutes before serving.
4. Optional: For perfectly circular cookies, you can reshape them right out of the oven! While the cookies are still hot, place a round cutter or drinking glass with an opening a little bigger than your cookies around one cookie at a time. Quickly swirl the cookie around inside of the cutter or glass a couple of times until the edges are perfectly circular! (See blog post and video for a visual.)

Video

Notes

*If you don’t have a cookie scoop, roll the dough into balls from about 2 Tablespoons’ worth of dough.

Store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 7 days or freeze for up to 6 months.

Recommended Supplies

• Cookie Scoop Set
• DI ORO Spoonula Spatula

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 271kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 335mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 27g

I’d love to see how your caramel chocolate chip cookies turn out: Take a photo and tag me on Instagram @floralapronblog to share with me, or use the hashtag #floralapronbakes.