Chewy Salted Caramel Crunch Chocolate Chip Cookies

How's that for a title?! I know, that title is a bit of a contradiction, but this cookie is soft and chewy, with crunchy caramel bits throughout. Just trust me, they're worth making. Alternatively, you could use soft caramel bits in this cookie, just know that it will change the overall texture. If you're good with that, by all means, you do you. Today though, we go crispy!! Here's what you'll need to make about 36 cookies:

Photo byErin

Ingredients:

For the Hard Caramel Bits:

• 1 cup granulated sugar

For the Cookie Dough

• 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces and at room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chunks or chips
• Sea salt flakes for the tops

Brown The Butter:

First, melt 1 cup of butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan or skillet on medium heat. Once it has fully melted, it will start to bubble. Stir gently with a spatula as the butter begins to turn golden brown at the bottom, releasing a nutty aroma. As soon as the butter stops foaming and bubbling, immediately remove it from the heat. Pour the browned butter into the bowl of your stand mixer, making sure to scrape in all the browned bits from the pan. Set it aside to cool while you prepare the caramel.

Make The Hard Caramel Bits:

To make the caramel, line some parchment paper on a cooking sheet and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.

Heat the same saucepan or skillet used for the brown butter over medium heat. Once pan is hot, sprinkle a layer of sugar over the bottom and turn to medium low heat. (You will likely use only about 1/3 of your cup of sugar at a time.) Once the sugar begins to melt, swirl the pan to keep sugars moving so they don't burn too fast. Once the sugar begins to turn a light golden color, and the granules are just about all melted, sprinkle in the next layer of sugar and continue the swirling motion. (If you find that the sugar is turning brown too fast, lower temperature a bit.) Repeat this process until all your sugar is melted and an amber color. Then, immediately pour onto the prepared baking sheet and tilt to spread evenly until it’s about 1/4 to 1/8 inch thick. Set aside to cool and harden while you make the cookie dough. Once cool, turn out onto a cutting board and cut into shards of 1/2 inch and smaller. Careful, they’re sharp.

Photo byErin

For the Cookies:

Preheat your oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and vanilla on medium speed for 4-5 minutes, until the mixture becomes light and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Then, mix in the baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and continue mixing on medium speed for about a minute until well combined.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and add the flour, mixing by hand just until you see streaks of flour remaining. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is combined. Add in the chocolate and chopped hard caramel, stirring until evenly distributed.

Form 2-tablespoon-sized dough balls and place them on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space between each ball.

Bake one sheet at a time in the center of the oven for around 11 minutes. Remove from the oven and use a silicone spatula to gently nudge the cookies back into round shapes. Return to the oven for an additional minute. The cookies will appear slightly underbaked.

Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack. If desired, sprinkle with flaky sea salt before serving. Enjoy!