I originally published this recipe in 2013 and have since added new photos and success tips. I have hundreds of cookie recipes on my website (and a whole book full of them in Sally’s Cookie Addiction), but how many can include “award-winning” in their title? When I originally published my salted caramel dark chocolate cookies in 2013, Nestlé Toll House invited me to participate in their Dark Chocolate Pinspirations Sweepstakes. My salted caramel dark chocolate cookies won 1st place! They were in great company with several other mouthwatering dark chocolate-inspired recipes in the contest. What an honor to be included among such a tasty bunch! This award-winning dessert recipe comes together with an easy cookie dough and even easier assembly process. Stuffing these salted caramel dark chocolate cookies is as simple as wrapping the chocolatey dough around a Rolo caramel candy. The dough needs to chill for at least 3 hours, but you can make it ahead of time and refrigerate overnight.
Why You’ll Love These
Soft-baked and thick, yet dense and fudgy like homemade brownies Recipe is easily doubled Satisfies the most intense chocolate cravings Easy to stack and transport (pro tip: don’t show up to your next gathering without a batch) Made from 1 easy, versatile cookie dough Stuffed with soft Rolo chocolate caramel candies
Grab your sweet tooth, a few chocolate-loving friends, and your cookie baking tools. Let’s do this!
Start With a Multipurpose Chocolate Cookie Dough
These cookies start with my go-to, dependable chocolate cookie dough. My recipe for double chocolate chip cookies produces an incredibly soft and fudge-like chocolate dough. With a dough that good, you bet I’ve used it to make just about every chocolate cookie combo you can think of, like chocolate crinkle cookies, inside-out chocolate chip cookies, and peppermint mocha cookies.
Then Add 2 Special Ingredients
The following 2 ingredients turn basic chocolate cookies into fancy-schmancy salted caramel dark chocolate cookies. The “bells and whistles” of today’s recipe, if you will.
Flour: All-purpose flour makes up the base of these cookies. Cocoa Powder: Make sure you use natural cocoa powder here. If you’re interested in learning why, read this post on Dutch-process vs. natural cocoa powder. Baking Soda: To give these cookies a lift in the oven. Salt: To balance the sweet. Butter: Remember that room-temperature butter is not as warm as you think. Let it sit out for only 1 hour before starting. It will be cool to the touch. Egg: To bind ingredients together and add richness. Sugar: A mix of brown and granulated sugars is key here to achieve the perfect balance of texture. Milk: A little liquid is necessary in this dough. You can use any kind of milk, dairy or nondairy. Vanilla Extract: Even the most chocolatey cookies need a kiss of vanilla! Chocolate Chips: You can use semi-sweet chocolate chips, but I love making these with dark chocolate chips.
How to Shape & Fill These Cookies
What kind of hoops must we jump through to create these caramel surprise cookies? Great news: assembling these couldn’t be easier. Add caramel centers: Take 2 Tablespoons of chilled cookie dough and divide in half. Roll each ball with your hands. Place the Rolo or caramel candy into the center of one ball (similar to a cradle). Top the candy with the other ball of dough and seal the sides together so that the candy is securely stuffed inside. The process is very similar to these caramel snickerdoodles and these Nutella crinkle cookies. Then bake! Be sure to try a baked cookie once it’s cool enough to handle. You need to experience the “caramel pull” for yourself. Just wait until you see your taste testers’ faces when they realize there’s a creamy, sweet caramel hiding inside the salted dark chocolate cookie. A look of surprise, followed by pure bliss!! The cookies are still wonderfully soft on day 2… if they make it that long!
