Chocolate Caramel Cookies with Sea Salt

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Happy Birthday to ME! Today is my 28th birthday and I am ready to party:) I have the day off and I plan on enjoying every minute of my special day. I love birthdays!

My handsome hubs is taking me out to a nice sushi dinner tonight. I can’t wait. We will be celebrating all weekend long too-friends are coming over tomorrow and we are hosting a Super Bowl party on Sunday.

I am not a big cake fan so for my birthday we are celebrating with COOKIES! Last year Josh made me chocolate chip cookies, he always spoils me:) This year we are celebrating with chocolate caramel cookies with sea salt.

These cookies are very chocolaty. I used dark cocoa to get the deepest, darkest, chocolate flavor. Next, I rolled soft caramel into little balls and wrapped the chocolate dough around the caramel. I love salt and caramel together, so I topped the cookies off with sea salt.

The caramel melted throughout the cookies while baking. I was worried the caramel would turn hard, after baking, but the cookies stayed soft and chewy. The rich chocolate, sweet caramel, and salt were the perfect combination. I am in love with these cookies and I think you will be too!

Make a batch for your weekend Super Bowl bash or whip up a batch for your special Valentine next week…or just make them because they are really good and it is my birthday:)  I hope you will all celebrate with me!

It is also Nutella Day-yahoo! If you want to honor Nutella, try my Nutella Brownies or Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies, they are both winners!

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Chocolate Caramel Cookies with Sea Salt

5 from 6 votes

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF; line 2 baking sheets with baking paper, lightly coated with cooking spray. I used Silpats! Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Sift together flour, soda, and salt; set aside.
  • Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat; stir in cocoa powder and sugars (mixture will resemble coarse sand). Add yogurt and vanilla, stirring to combine. Add flour mixture, stirring until moist. Wrap the chocolate dough around the caramel balls. Place balls on cookie sheets and sprinkle with sea salt.
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes or until almost set. Cool on pans 2 to 3 minutes or until firm. Remove cookies from pans; cool on wire racks.

Have you tried this recipe?

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Maria

I'm Maria and my husband is Josh. We share a love of cooking, baking, and entertaining. We enjoy creating recipes that are simple, fresh, and family friendly. We love sitting around the table with good food, good conversation, and good friends and family! Our kitchen is always open!
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  1. Happy birthday chica!

    These cookies and sushi sound like the best way to celebrate. Caramel is such a great filling! LOVE it.

  2. Happy Birthday Maria!!! It sounds like such a fun way to celebrate and everyone should celebrate more than once.

  3. Happy Birthday!!!! Sounds like you have a fantastic weekend planned 🙂

    These cookies look amazing! I love that first picture with the caramel coming out! They look so chocolatey. The salt on top is great too.

  4. Happy Birthday!

    I love the cookies, and will have to try those this weekend. Will be making your pretzel bite recipe for SuperBowl Sunday. Thanks!

  5. Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes! I really appreciate all of my blog readers/friends. You guys are the best!

  6. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Happy Birthday! I so wish I had known about this earlier, I would’ve sent you some foodie love! Enjoy every minute of your day with your man! These cookies look ridiculous good! Its 9:45 …and I want a cookie 😉 <3 you!!!!!

  7. ¡FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Yeaaa, another Aquarius here!!

    The cookies look amazing. I wonder how homemade caramels would work with these. YUMMY!!

    Your photos look amazing and intense. Wow.

  8. I’m thinking this birthday cookie idea is genius! That way you can have a cookie with breakfast, lunch and dinner and any time all day long because It’s Your Birthday! Reminds me of the Rolo Cookies that I love!

  9. These look lovely! I am printing this recipe as we speak. I move into a new house tomorrow and think these would be the perfect first batch of cookies! Rich, sweet, salty, chewy. Everything I love.

  10. My husband would love these cookies! I found the Nestle’s pre-made dough at the store that has carmel in the middle and he’s obsessed with them. Happy Birthday!

  11. I’d love to make these cookies for an upcoming tv watch party I’m hosting. How many cookies does this recipe yield? Thanks for feeding my sweet tooth!

  12. Happy Birthday! I think I can forgive you for not being a cake fan since you have such impeccable cookie taste =)! These cookies look so sinfully delicous! Which caramel did you use? I really want to make these this weekend, it is all my fave ingredients!

  13. well, hot diggity–happy birthday, maria! these cookies look amazing, both the innards and on the outside. very clever use of caramel, too. 🙂

  14. These are the perfect celebration cookie! This post was so descriptive I feel like I just had one of these cookies. Love that the caramel stayed super soft! Happy Birthday gorgeous!

  15. Happy Happy Birthday my friend! I’m glad you have a long weekend to celebrate. And these cookies look like a celebration of their own. I love the salt on top. I hope you have an excellent birthday and enjoy the sushi.

  16. My mouth just hung open when I saw these!!! I had laid awake a couple nights ago and thought of this very idea. Darnit!! Maybe I’ll still try my own version. Looks delicious!

  17. Happy Birthday 🙂 Cookies look incredible. you’ve given me so many wonderful recipes to try, i don’t know where to start!

  18. going to make these today. if i can get to the store tonight to get some yogurt! they look delish. think all caramel would work? maybe i’ll pick up those sheets you can use to drape over apples for caramel apples….i think that’s softer.

    thanks!

  19. Happy birthday. Sounds like you have a great weekend planned. Enjoy your sushi tonight and enjoy your cookies.

    Now I want some of those cookies for my birthday. This year I’m going to pull off the amazing feat of being 29 for 11 years in a row. I deserve cookies!

  20. Happy Birthday Maria, all the best to you, your blog and family. I love coarse salt with sweets and the ebon colour of your cookies.

  21. Thanks so much for the birthday wishes! I am having a great day~!

    Lindsay-I got about 2 1/2 dozen cookies. Enjoy!

  22. Happy Birthday!!! Those cookies look amazing! During Christmas Trader Joe’s had chocolates with sea salt and they were amazing. I have celiac disease so, I can’t make these as is but, maybe I’ll try experimenting and try to make a gluten-free version! Hope you have a wonderful Day!!

  23. Looks delicious. I really need to try the sea salt and chocolate combination. I don’t know why I haven’t yet!

  24. The color of these cookies is so nice and rich. What brand of cocoa did you use? I have Green & Blacks but I’ve never baked a chocolate cookie with that kind of color, but, then again, I usually use like 3 tbsp..??

  25. First of all… Happy Birthday! I hope it’s very special for you.

    These cookies are right up my alley. Chocolate, sweet and salty. LOVE that combination!

  26. Happy Birthday. These are perfect cookies. I love chocolate, caramel and salt. Together they are the best taste.

  27. Happy Birthday! I am crazy about salted caramel, I love french fleur du sel caramels especially. These cookies sound wonderful. There is a “Sunshine Award” for you on my blog today as you bring sunshine to my blog reading!

  28. Happy Birthday!! I love them. And in fact, my 28th is coming up this year and I’m ready to party and celebrate with sushi as well. 28 sounds good.

    You know, I’ve never even flirted with the idea of sea salt + cookies. What an unusual but bright idea. I’m interested!

  29. These cookies look divine! Caramel, chocolate, sea sea salt are the perfect combination. All your superbowl food is making me wish I was into football!

  30. Sorry I missed wishing you a happy birthday! I hope it was a great one. These cookies look terrific – my absolute favorite flavors are in there.

  31. This is basically everything a girl could want in a cookie. Chocolate? Check. Caramel? Check. Salt? Check. What a perfect birthday treat!

  32. Yum! Those cookies look *amazing*. I love chocolate and caramel with salt… Such a great flavor combination!

  33. I’m very late to the “party” but I wanted to send you Happy Birthday wishes, even if I’m a little late!! The cookies look wonderful.

  34. Wow, these are definite winners! I can almost taste them just looking at the picture. Yum! Hope you had a great birthday!

  35. WOW! I am in awe of these cookies – I’m soooo making them for valentines day!
    Happy Birthday btw, and like your blog which I just found through tasty kitchen ; )

  36. Happy belated birthday Maria!!! Hope you enjoyed your bday weekend. And these cookies look spectacular!!!

  37. i found your blog on TK and love your recipes! i made these cookies last night and now i can’t stop eating them! thanks for the delicious new recipe:o)

  38. Can you believe I am just finally getting to this post?! Happy, happy belated birthday! Best wishes for 28… it’s been a good year for me so far. 🙂 I am bookmarking this recipe right now… chocolate, salt, and caramel is definitely a winning combo!

  39. The moment I saw this recipe on your blog I knew I had to make them. Today, I finally got around to whipping up a batch and they were absolutely awesome! Thank you so much for sharing…I look forward to trying more of your recipes.

  40. I made these cookies the other day, they were great so moist, almost “brownie like”! I do think it’s what I would call a grown up cookie, as my kids weren’t the biggest fans. LOL However, all of the adults that tried them raved! I got 2 doz out of the recipe, thanks for sharing. I found you through tasty kitchen.

  41. Oooooo what are these???? Be still my heart! 🙂 i have these bookmarked now! Hopefully I can sub in these caramel bits I have here.

  42. Just made these tonight

    Like another commenter said, these cookies are almost brownie like and really hold their shape (they don’t go all flat and crinkled like other cookie recipes I’ve tried).

    I’m a big salt fan but even I had to go easy on the salt. My cookies kind of stayed fat and round so I just put 4-6 salt kernels on top and found that was plenty for a salt lover.

    Other than that, even the chocolate and caramel combined worked perfectly. I used Werthers original chewy caramels.

    1. Jake-glad you liked the cookies. The salt goes a long way so just use a little sprinkle:)

  43. Happy Birthday to you! Hope it was fabulous!
    P.S. I’ve just died and gone to heaven… salty, caramel, chocolate heaven. *bliss*

  44. Mmmm…I ran to the store for ingredients and whipped these up as soon as I stumbled upon this recipe. They are amazing and my husband is in love! 🙂 Thanks for sharing the recipe! I have a question for you…I followed the recipe to a T but I can’t get mine to look “cookie shaped” like the ones pictured and instead, mine stayed in their round little ball shape. The only difference was that I didn’t use baking paper. I’m making them for my sister-in-law’s bridal shower on Sunday and want to make sure they are absolutely perfect! Do you think the baking paper is the missing ingredient for that nice cookie shape? I’m not sure what else it could be!

    1. I always use parchment or a Silpat. I think it helps evenly bake the cookies. I am not sure why they were not round. Make sure you shape them all the same size. Maybe flatten them a little with your hand before baking. Good luck with the shower!

  45. I don’t know how I missed these when you posted them, but saw them on CNN’s Eatocracy. CONGRATS by the way. The article captures all the enthusiasm you project in your daily tweets 🙂 This recipe just may be the second one I send to my son who’s now away at college. Thanks for this!

  46. Amazing looking, Maria! i am pretty much addicted to anything involving caramel+ salt. Definitely gonna be trying this in the next day or so of holiday bake-a-thon-ing!
    Congrats on being featured on #CookieWeek! 🙂
    love,
    cathy b. @ brightbakes

  47. Hi! These look delicious and I want to try them for my cookie swap tomorrow. Is there anywhere that I can find soft caramel quickly? Do you know if they carry it at grocery stores?

    1. I buy it at a baking store in Utah. You can order it online at Amazon too. Check your grocery stores though. Sorry I am not much help! Let me know if you try them!

  48. I just made these. Used Peter’s caramel, like you mention in the recipe. The caramel leaked out all over the cookie sheets. Any suggestions? I thought maybe I rolled the caramel balls too big so I did some of them very small but both sizes leaked out all over.

    1. Hmmm. I never had a problem. Make sure you have enough dough around the caramel. Maybe try adding a little more flour to your dough as well so they aren’t spreading as much. Sorry you are having some trouble.

  49. These were heavenly to eat bug really time consuming to carefully roll a caramel to each dough. Even though I was careful, caramel still leaked out. Any suggestions to how to prevent this for the next time I try again?
    IMG_1003 copy.JPG

    1. Just make sure you have enough dough wrapped around the caramel so it doesn’t leak out. I didn’t have a problem. They do take a little extra time, but they are worth it to me:)

  50. Hi there from Spain. Those cookies look and taste delicious!! I was instantly addicted to the combination of sea salt, caramel and chocolate. However, had the same problem, with caramel spilling out of some cookies. I will try to freeze the caramel balls before using them the next time. The problem seems to be ,that the caramel is getting too hot during the last two minutes of baking and starts cooking. Until minute 10 everything was fine, but the cookies not yet done. After 12 minutes the caramel started spilling. Just an idea about freezing them, so they don’t get hot so quickly. If it works, I’ll let you know. I am actually native German and in Germany we bake loads of cookies for Christmas and I found these actually unbelievably easy and quick to make. You should definitely give these cookies a try. Five stars from my end of the world!

    1. Sorry about the caramel issues. Mine never leaked out. Maybe I put extra dough around the caramel? The caramel balls need to be very small too.

  51. I just finished up a batch of these cookies, DELICIOUS! I love the combination of caramel and salt together, the chocolate made it even better. I used the Werthers chewy caramels because I didn’t want to pay too much. They worked just fine but defiantly make sure to wrap the dough around the caramel or it will leak out. My first round of cookies had that problem. I also popped them into the freezer for 5 minutes before baking and that helped keep the caramels from leaking as well. Thanks so much for a great cookie recipe!

  52. I just made these cookies (for a cookies & cocktails party)… some of the best cookies I have ever had! Love the yogurt in there – great idea. Thank you sharing this awesome recipe!

  53. Hi, I made these cookies on the weekend. Thanks for sharing the recipe! Anyhow, although mine turned out deliciously, they didn’t really look like yours! Half of mine exploded (BWAHAHA), and I couldn’t see the caramel in the cookies in the other half.

    1. Try using less caramel next time or more dough to wrap around the caramel! Sorry you had an explosion:)

  54. I just tried these cookies…they are yummy! I made my own soft caramel to put in the cookies. Most of mine leaked as well. I used a small cookie scoop for the dough…I was wondering if you use a cookie scoop, what size did you use? My caramel balls were about the size of a penny if you flattened the ball out, maybe a little bigger. The last batch I cooked I put the caramel in and just barely covered it with dough, then indented a little with my thumb, that seemed to help keep them from exploding. I also stuck them in the fridge for a few minutes before baking. They are so yummy… definitely worth trying again & again till I get them right. Thanks for a great recipe. I wonder if those caramel bits would work that you can buy in the store next to the chocolate chips?

    1. Nice job on making your own caramel! Make sure you have enough dough wrapped around the caramel so it doesn’t leak out. I didn’t use a cookies scoop, just a spoon. I haven’t seen the caramel bits. I better go on a hunt!

  55. I’ve been wanting to make these for weeks and just got around to it! They turned out GREAT. I only had one cookie that caramel leaked out and it’s definitely worth it to put more dough around each caramel to make sure they stay put. I couldn’t find Peter’s caramel’s so I just used the Kraft brand and it was just fine. Thanks for the great recipe!

  56. I used Kraft caramels – left them on the stove to soften a bit, tore each caramel in half, rolled in a ball then stuck them in the freezer for a half hour or so. Mixed up dough, wrapped dough around each ball. I had no problems whatsoever with leakage! Awesome cookie.

  57. After reading this recipe and seeing all the luscious photos, I may have to wipe drool off the computer!
    I am new to your site but I have to tell you, all the photography is stunning. I have a burning desire to print out every recipe and try them one by one!

  58. I am SO glad you tweeted your top posts for 2010 because otherwise, I never would have seen this recipe. My favourite flavour combo: chocolate, caramel and salt. I will have to try them!

  59. Love this idea! They taste AMAZING. I just finished my batch, and although I was careful and even played around with caramel to cookie ratios, half of the cookies exploded…but I’d like to think that it gives them character. My poor cookies didn’t flatten out as nicely as yours either. They’re just cute chubby cookies that taste great. I tried flattening them out on my next batch, and they came out the same. Any clue why?

  60. Just made these. Saw them a while ago and they were sitting on my mind ever since. Conveniently I had all of the ingredients. They were quick to make and taste so good! It definitely ruined the effects of my workout prior to the baking session. Oh well. These were worth it!

  61. HOLY YUM! These are so unique – I used a brand of caramels similar to the Kraft kind (the little squares). I cut them in half and molded them into little balls (which makes for sore fingers the following day!) and threw the caramel balls into the fridge while I made the cookie batter to harden up. I didn’t have any problems with the caramel leaking out – I think this was a combo of refrigerating them and using only tiny balls of caramel (when it warms up in the oven, the caramel spreads within the cookie so you really do not need a huge ball of caramel). YUM – this receipe is a keeper!!!

  62. I’m thinking of testing this recipe with peanut butter balls instead of caramel…maybe a little powdered sugar mixed with peanut butter to allow it to form into a ball. Or you could always cheat and use a mini reese’s 😉

  63. These are AMAZING! My new favorite cookie ever! I have already made them 3 times! They turn out best with werthers caramels & are terrible with the cheap kraft ones…. Thank you for an amazing cookie!

  64. HI! Just found you from I Am Baker! :ove this cookie! Have any ideas how this recipe can be doubled or quadrupled?? I do a cookie excxhange and need to make 12 dozen. Have any suggestions? Thanks a bunch!!
    Lisa

    1. You can double the recipe. I don’t know if I would go any bigger than that though…unless you have a huge mixer. Enjoy the cookies. Thanks for visiting!

  65. gorgeous pictures. this recipe looks divine. i’m so going to be baking half a batch for the holidays. i love that it isn’t crazy amounts of butter. great site.

  66. Hi! made these last night they are good but they never spread out like yours did. I am wondering if you used regular plain yogurt or greek plain yogurt?

    I could only find plain greek yogurt but think this might have had too much protein in it/less water than regular plain yogurt and therefore did not let the cookie spread like the one in your picture. Just curious as to what kind of yogurt you used because otherwise I followed the instructions perfectly.
    Thanks!

    1. I use Greek yogurt because that is what I eat and always have on hand. Sorry they didn’t spread for you. You can try flattening them a bit before baking by pressing the dough down with the palm of your hand.

  67. i made these saturday. didn’t have the sea salt so i left it off, which my husband is not a fan of sweet and salty. All I can say is way to go!!! this recipe is awesome. there are only 3 cookies left. 🙂

  68. I have a jar of the Trader Joe’s salted caramel.. do you think it would work in these, or would it be too runny?

    Thanks!

    1. I have never seen the TJ’s caramel so I am not sure how runny it is. If it is thick enough to wrap the dough around, then it should be fine.

  69. These came out so good! I used Kraft caramel candies because I don’t think Quebec has Peter’s caramel. I think the 10 minute mark is prime because past that caramel starts to ooze out.

    I adore and absolutely love that the cookies don’t require eggs! I’m definately making these agains, after I try the velvet cheesecake cookies. 🙂

    I love your site and recipes. Thank you 😀

  70. I love this idea, never had caramel in a cookie like that, its kind of like an inside out chocolate chip cookie!

  71. These cookies looked great when I saw them and I decided to make them for a fundraiser I was involved in. Making them was a disaster. First, is it a mistake that there are no eggs in this cookie?? I followed the recipe, exactly and underbaked them for a chewier texture and they are like pucks!!! so Hard and taste like cocoa and basically it. Had to throw them all out and start over with a new recipe. Too bad because they looked delicious.

  72. This cookies look delicious, I wiil try them. Thanks. Y just have a question, since i have never used Silpats, do you have to coat them with cooking spray like we do with baking paper?

  73. Any thoughts on how to make this dairy-free? (The yogurt really throws me, in terms of a substitute…) Thanks.

  74. I love these! I cut Kraft caramels in half and make smallish cookies, carefully sealing the dough around the caramel to avoid leaks. Dark chocolate, caramel, and sea salt – what could be better! Popular at my Cookie Exchange.

  75. Holy crap, these look divine! Seriously, I’ve never seen such a dark chocolate cookie before. I feel frustrated that in January nobody wants to go near a cookie anymore. Who could not adore these?

  76. 5 stars
    SO delicious!! Did not have brown sugar but made do with sugar in the raw. It was SUCH a hit!! I used Werther’s Original soft caramel and cut them into 1/2s! I found this made about ~20 cookies.

    Thank you so much 🙂