These Giant Caramel Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies are a super fun spin on the classic chocolate chip cookie recipe. Stuff soft caramels inside big balls of cookie dough. Enjoy them warm and the caramel is gooey along with the melted chocolate chips.
It's hard to beat a classic chocolate chip cookie! I also love making these super soft chocolate chip cookies or these Levain copycat thick chocolate chip cookies. If you don't have brown sugar in the pantry, try making these Chocolate Chip Cookies without Brown Sugar.
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Why I Love It:
- Gooey Caramel - The caramel on the inside melts and creates a gooey pocket.
- Super Tender Cookies - The outsides get golden and slightly crisp while the insides are tender.
- BIG Cookies - While you can make these smaller, I love how fun these GIANT cookies are.
Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter - Softened to room temperature. You can also use salted butter and just cut the amount of added salt in half
- Light Brown Sugar - Pack the brown sugar into the baking cup when measuring.
- White Granulated Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Eggs - Bring to room temperature with the butter
- All-Purpose Flour - Always make sure to fluff up the flour in the canister, spoon it into your baking cup, then level it off. Don't pack your flour in or you'll have too much.
- Baking Soda
- Kosher Salt
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips - You can swap in another chocolate chip or even chunks
- Werther's Soft Caramels - It's important to use this variety of caramels because they are softer than say the typical Kraft caramels. I've also heard that the Trader Joe's flour de sel caramels are great for baking too, but I haven't tested them.
Step by Step Instructions
This recipe for Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies is as easy as your typical cookie dough - just stuff the dough balls with store-bought soft caramels!
- Prep - Start by unwrapping the caramels and cutting half of them into thirds.
- Cream the Wet Ingredients - Using your electric mixer or stand mixer (with the paddle attachment) cream the softened butter in a large bowl, add the sugars and cream, then add the eggs and vanilla and cream.
- Add Dry Ingredients - In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients and mix into the dough. Mix in the chocolate chips.
- Form Dough - Form the dough into large balls (about 100 grams or 3-4 ounces). Flatten each ball, place an unwrapped caramel, and form the dough around it.
- Chill - Place the formed dough balls on parchment lined plate or sheet pan and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to 48 hours.
- Bake - When ready to bake, preheat the oven and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Place a few cookies on a sheet (giving a few inches in between as they are big!). Bake for until the edges are golden brown and the tops are mostly set.
- Cool - Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.
- Serve - The cookies are best enjoyed warm either after baking or you can rewarm them for a few seconds in the microwave before enjoying.
IMPORTANT! Don’t Over Bake the Cookies
This is the most important tip for many cookie recipes. Cookies will continue to set up and 'cook' as they sit on the hot pan and cool. It's always better to under bake by 1 minute than to over bake by 1 minutes.
Variations
- Smaller Cookies - If you want to make smaller cookies, you can cut the caramels that you stuff inside in half and decrease the baking time.
- Chocolate Chunks - Try swapping in other types of chips or even chocolate chunks!
- Other Caramels - If you can't find the Werther's Soft Caramels (or similar soft caramel), you can swap in the Kraft Caramel Bits and stir into the dough. Note that these won't get as soft and melty.
Equipment
Baking/Cookie Sheets - I highly recommend using baking sheets that are light colored. Using dark/nonstick cookie sheets can result in burnt cookie bottoms.
Mixing Bowl with Electric Mixer or Stand Mixer - It's easiest to use an electric mixer or stand mixer to cream up the butter and sugar.
Dry Measuring Cups/Spoons - To accurately measure out the ingredients. When measuring flour, use the 'spoon and level' method. And when measuring brown sugar, make sure to pack it in the cup.
Parchment Paper or Silicone Baking Mats - I recommend using one of these to make the cookies easier to remove. This is especially helpful with the sticky caramel.
Optional – Cookie Scoop – I love using a cookie scoop for even sized cookie dough balls.
Leftovers and Storage
They will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Recipe Tips
- Use the Soft Caramels - It's important to use this variety of caramels because they are softer than the typical Kraft caramels.
- Serve the Cookies Warm - When the cookies cool, the caramels will set up and harden again. Although they're still delicious this way, I HIGHLY recommend microwaving each cookie for just 10 seconds or so to remelt the caramel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely. Cookie dough can be made in advance and stored, covered, in the fridge for up to 3 days. This longer sit in the fridge actually makes the cookies more flavorful.
Yes! You can freeze the rolled cookie dough balls and then bake from frozen! Flash freeze the dough balls for an hour on a baking sheet then transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, take out from the freezer while the oven preheats and bake for 1-2 minutes longer than the recipe calls for.
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PrintRecipe
Giant Caramel Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
These Giant Caramel Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies are a super fun spin on the classic chocolate chip cookie recipe. Stuff soft caramels inside big balls of cookie dough. Enjoy them warm and the caramel is gooey along with the melted chocolate chip
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 12 large cookies
- Category: Dessert, Cookies
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 24 Werther's soft caramels
Instructions
- Prep - Start by unwrapping the caramels. Cut about half of them into thirds. I recommend leaving them spread out on a cutting board so they don't stick together while you make the dough.
- Cream the Wet Ingredients - Using your electric mixer or stand mixer (with the paddle attachment) cream the softened butter in a large bowl. Add the brown and white sugar and cream again for at least a minute until well creamed. Add the eggs and vanilla and cream again until combined.
- Add Dry Ingredients - In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add to the wet in 2-3 parts, mixing until combined and the dough comes together. Stir in the chocolate chips on low speed until evenly distributed.
- Form Dough - Form the dough into large balls (about 100 grams or 3-4 ounces). Flatten each ball, place an unwrapped caramel, and form the dough around it. I like to stick a couple of the cut caramel pieces along with a few chocolate chips on top of the dough ball as well.
- Chill - Place the formed dough balls on parchment lined plate or sheet pan and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to 48 hours. This helps reduce spreading when baking.
- Bake - When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Place a few cookies on a sheet (giving a few inches in between as they are big!). Bake for 11-14 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the tops are mostly set.
- Cool - Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. The cookies will continue to 'cook' as they cool on the sheet and set up. You can sprinkle them with flaky sea salt when you remove from the oven as well. If the cookies don't have that perfect round shape or if some of the caramel oozed out the sides, you can use a large coffee mug or biscuit cutter to swirl the cookies back into shape while still hot.
- Serve - The cookies are best enjoyed warm either after baking or you can rewarm them for a few seconds in the microwave before enjoying.
Notes
- Use the Soft Caramels - It's important to use this variety of caramels because they are softer than the typical Kraft caramels.
- Serve the Cookies Warm - When the cookies cool, the caramels will set up and harden again. Although they're still delicious this way, I HIGHLY recommend microwaving each cookie for just 10 seconds or so to remelt the caramel.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 giant cookie
- Calories: 621
- Sugar: 69.4 g
- Sodium: 315.6 mg
- Fat: 27.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 93.4 g
- Fiber: 3.4 g
- Protein: 7.3 g
- Cholesterol: 71.7 mg
Keywords: Caramel Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies, Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
Katie says
These were SO good, especially warm right out of the oven.
★★★★★