Sometimes, even kids need to shake up their baking routine. Who doesn’t love a surprise caramel in their chocolate chip cookies?
The first thing that I ever made on my own was chocolate chip cookies. They were awful. They tasted like dried baking soda. But of course, I ate them all anyway. And then I made another batch the next day, and they tasted like salt. But I ate them anyway. In my book, even the worst chocolate chip cookie recipe is worth eating.
However, I might have overdone it. You know when you ask your family if they want cookies, and their response is immediate. “Anything but chocolate chip.” Perhaps I may have made them a few too many times.
Why Add Caramel to Your Chocolate Chip Cookies:
The problem is that I am not tired of making them, or eating them for that matter. So I needed to come up with a way to add a surprise to them and trick all of my grumpy family into liking my cookies again. Since I had already tried adding pumpkin to my cookies, I needed something new.
This is when I found this recipe with hidden caramels in the middle of the cookie. Done and done.
The Base Recipe:
I will admit I was nervous to break away from my standard Nestle chocolate chip cookie recipe. You can’t go wrong with this popular recipe. Well, okay, most can’t go wrong. I may have already proven that I can ruin any foolproof recipe. But I decided to follow the directions just in case it somehow affected the caramel additions.
Although the measurements were a bit different, the base for these cookies came together just like usual. I mixed my dry ingredients and added them to my whipped sugar and butter with eggs.
Hiding the Caramel in the Chocolate Chip Cookies:
Now came the fun part! Taking about a 2-tablespoon scoop of cookie dough out at a time, I made it into almost like a hamburger patty.
Next, I stuck my caramel in the middle and wrapped it up into a ball.
I could not wait to see my family’s reaction when they bit into these cookies with a surprise!
One of my favorite additions to these cookies is the sprinkled salt on top. Although this recipe calls for you to do this after cooking, next time I think I will put a little bit on before they go in the oven as a lot of it just fell off.
If you need to shake up chocolate chip cookies, I highly recommend you hide caramels in them!
Why Kids Need Caramel in Their Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sometimes, even kids need to shake up their baking routine. Who doesn’t love a surprise caramel in their chocolate chip cookies?
Ingredients
- 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 2 Teaspoons Cornstarch
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ¾ Cup Unsalted Butter, At Toom Temperature
- 1 Cup Light Brown Sugar, Packed
- ¼ Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Large Egg
- 2 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 9 Soft Caramels, Cut in Half
- Flaky Sea Salt, For Sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 350 F and line baking sheets with either parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Stir together 2 cups flour, 2 tsp cornstarch, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 tsp salt in a large bowl.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together 3/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 cup brown sugar on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and 2 tsps vanilla and mix until smooth.
- Gradually add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until combined. Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips.
- Using a large cookie scoop (or about 2 Tablespoons), spoon dough into hand and roll into a ball. Slightly flatten the the ball with the palm of your hand. Place a piece of caramel in the center of the dough and wrap the cookie dough around the caramel. Make sure the caramel is completely covered by dough. Place on prepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, until slightly browned around the edges.
- Let set on the pan 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Adapted From I Heart Naptime