Brown Butter Chocolate Caramel Cookies

A brown butter chocolate chip cookie slathered with a layer of salted caramel then topped with chocolate and sprinkles.

I’ve participated in Julie’s virtual Christmas Cookie Exchange for the last three years. Instead of physically mailing cookies (which is not the easiest thing to do), we just swap recipes via email. The first year, I made Fiesta Fudge Cookies, the second year, I made French Sables Korova, and last year I made Chocolate Mocha Swirl Cookies.

This year, when Aida of The Crafting Foodie sent me these Brown Butter Chocolate Caramel Cookies I was a little bit intimidated.

Now that I have a toddler, my baking time starts after she goes to sleep and I always get started much later than I should. I read through the recipe and the first thing I thought was “how am I going to make brown butter on an electric stove?”. We’ve been in our new house for 8 months but I just can’t get the hang of the electric stove. It’s old and finicky and tries to ruin my life.

Luckily, I made it through that step without issue. Next, it was time to make the salted caramel. Things were going great. I even stopped to take a picture. And then, my caramel turned into little rocks and started clanking around in the pan.

It was somewhere around 10:30 pm and I wanted to go to bed but I cleaned out the pan and started over. I adjusted my method and it turned out much better, but by that time, it was really late so I wrapped everything up and called it a day.

The next day I worked, went to dinner and did some Christmas shopping with my mom and Julia, then came home and spread the caramel on the cookies and topped them with the chocolate and sprinkles. But by that time, it was 11:00 pm again (that happens so quickly), so I put everything away and decided to take pictures the next night.

Basically, it took me three days to finish (and finally taste!) one of these cookies but they were SO worth the wait and effort! They’re so good. It’s basically like putting a Twix bar on top of a really good chocolate chip cookie. The salted caramel + the chocolate [insert heart eye emoji]. Thank you for the recipe, Aida!!

TOOLS TO MAKE BROWN BUTTER CHOCOLATE CARAMEL COOKIES

Silicone Baking Mats
Cookie Scoop (one of my favorite kitchen tools!)
Christmas Sprinkles

Brown Butter Chocolate Caramel Cookies

Melissa Williams | Persnickety Plates

A brown butter chocolate chip cookie slathered with a layer of salted caramel then topped with chocolate and sprinkles.

5 from 1 vote

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Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 3 dozen

Calories 2371 kcal

Ingredients

 

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For the Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1 cup unsalted butter at room temp
• 2 ¼ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon molasses
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 ¼ cups chocolate chips I use Ghirardelli baking chips

For the Salted Caramel

• ½ cup sugar
• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter cubed
• ⅓ cup heavy cream at room temp
• 1 ½ teaspoon salt

For the Chocolate Topping

• 1-2 cups dark chocolate melting wafers

Instructions

 

For the Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

• In a heavy-bottomed pan, over medium-low heat, add one stick (1/2 cup) of your room temperature butter, stirring nearly constantly. The butter will melt, then foam, then clear up, turn golden, then start getting brown flakes and smell nutty. Once you start seeing the brown flakes, remove the pan from the heat and continue to stir it for about a minute. Pour browned butter into a bowl and allow to cool for approximately 20 minutes.
• While the brown butter is cooling, make the rest of the cookie batter.
• In a medium bowl, add the flour, salt, and baking soda. Whisk together then set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer), beat the other stick (1/2 cup) of room temperature butter with the brown sugar until it is light and fluffy.
• Add in the vanilla and molasses and beat until combined.
• Add in the cooled brown butter and the sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• Add in the egg and the egg yolk. Beat until just combined.
• Slowly add in the flour mixture and beat on low until just combined.
• Stir in the chocolate chips.
• Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

For the Salted Caramel

• While the dough chills, you can make the salted caramel.
• In the same heavy bottomed sauce pan you used for the butter, add in sugar and stir nearly constantly over medium heat with a wooden spoon or a high heat spatula.
• The sugar will form clumps then turn into a thick, amber colored liquid as you continue stirring.
• Once the sugar has completely melted, add in the cubed butter. The caramel will bubble rapidly once the butter is added.
• Stir the butter into the caramel until it is completely melted, about 2-3 minutes.
• Slowly drizzle in the room temperature heavy cream while you continue stirring. Allow to boil for 1 minute. The caramel will rise as it boils.
• Remove the caramel from the heat, stir in the salt, and let cool and thicken.
• Back to the cookies...
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
• Scoop the chilled dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Use your fingers to slightly flatten each dough ball before baking.
• Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.
• Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes on the pan, then move to a wire rack to completely cool.
• Once the cookies are completely cool, spread a thin layer of salted caramel on the top of each cookie. Place the cookies back onto the cookie sheet and put them in the fridge to harden.

For the Chocolate Topping

• Place the chocolate melting wafers in a microwave safe dish and melt on 30 second increments until fully melted and smooth.

Notes

Very slightly adapted from The Crafting Foodie

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 2371kcalCarbohydrates: 298gProtein: 22gFat: 122gSaturated Fat: 81gCholesterol: 360mgSodium: 2485mgPotassium: 670mgFiber: 6gSugar: 207gVitamin A: 2965IUVitamin C: 0.7mgCalcium: 403mgIron: 7.1mg

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

Tried this recipe? Tag me!Mention @melissa_pplates or tag #persnicketyplates!

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Thank you to Julie of Bread Booze Bacon  for hosting the recipe swap each year! You can find the rest of the cookies made (& gets tons of good ideas) HERE. Or you can go to The Crafting Foodie to see which recipe I sent her.