Caramel-stuffed chocolate chunk cookies

Caramel-stuffed chocolate chunk cookies take a delicious choc chip cookie to new levels of awesome. These are the ultimate indulgent snack.

Caramel-stuffed chocolate chunk cookies

I hope you guys are ready for this because today we are going OTT to the max. I’ve been dreaming of a choc chip cookie stuffed with ooey-gooey caramel for the longest time and I’ve been working on this recipe for months. No jokes. I’ve made these so many times, every time tweaking the recipe until the end result was exactly what I wanted it to be and finally, I can share them with you. Aren’t they just gorgeous?

Of course a good old chocolate chip cookie is absolutely delicious as it is and by all means, enjoy them that way. But if like me, you just have to go over the top sometimes, these caramel-stuffed chocolate chunk cookies will have you scrambling to get baking in no time. And yes there’s a little faff involved but I can guarantee that it is totally worth it. I promise.

How to stuff cookies with caramel?

So here’s the deal: The caramel in question is what we in South Africa call “Caramel Treat”. It comes in a can and is the stuff of dreams. It’s pretty much just caramelised condensed milk and if you can’t get your hands on it, Dulce de leche will work perfectly well. And if all else fails, buy some salted caramels (caramel candies) and use them but they won’t have the same molten effect. And if you’re not into caramel, these would be equally irresistible stuffed with Nutella.

The trick to getting a thick pool of caramel in the centre of the cookie is to freeze little blobs of caramel until they harden slightly (if you’re using caramel candies you can omit this step) and then enrobe these frozen globs of yum in the cookie dough. Chill the whole story again before baking and you will have these thick,  buttery, choc-chunk studded cookies with a little surprise in the middle. I’m drooling just thinking of it.

Caramel-stuffed choc chunk cookies

How to make chocolate chunk cookies

Start by preparing the dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition. Fold in the flour, baking powder, salt and chocolate chunks. I like to chop up a bar of dark chocolate but you can use store-bought chocolate chips or chocolate chunks too. At this point you can scoop out balls of dough with an ice cream scoop and place on a cookie tray lined with parchment paper. Chill the cookie dough in the fridge for 30 minutes before baking.

To stuff the cookies with caramel, freeze dollops of canned caramel or dulce de leche on a tray lined with greased parchment paper and freeze until solid. Push the frozen caramel into the center of each ball of cookie dough then flatten slightly and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Allow to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes while you pre-heat the oven. Bake the cookies until golden brown and crisp on the outside. Allow to cool before serving.

Caramel-stuffed choc chunk cookies

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Caramel-stuffed choc chunk cookies

Caramel-stuffed chocolate chunk cookies

Caramel-stuffed chocolate chunk cookies

Caramel-stuffed chocolate chunk cookies take a delicious choc chip cookie to new levels of awesome. These are the ultimate indulgent snack.
4.50 from 4 votes
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Course: Baked goods, Baking
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chunk cookies, cookie recipe
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Freeze time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 40 minutes
Calories: 383kcal
Author: Alida Ryder
Servings: 10

Ingredients

  • 1 cup canned caramel/dulce de leche

for the cookie dough

  • cups butter room temperature
  • cups light brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup chocolate chunks

Instructions

  • Place teaspoonfuls of the caramel treat on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze for at least 1 hour.
  • In the bowl of a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and creamy.
  • Beat in the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.
  • Slowly add the flour and baking powder, scraping down the bowl occasionally until all the flour has been incorporated.
  • Add the chocolate chunks and mix well.
  • Pre-heat the oven to 180ºc and line 3 baking trays with parchment paper.
  • Take small handfuls of the dough and wrap around the frozen caramel ensuring the caramel is competely covered. Pinch together the seams where the dough meets and roll into a ball and place 3-4 on each tray. They spread quite a bit so you need to space them accordingly.
  • Place the cookie dough in the fridge until the oven is pre-heated.
  • Place the baking sheets into the oven and allow to bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown but still soft in the middle.
  • Remove from the oven and allow to chill for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Nutrition

Calories: 383kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 261mg | Potassium: 170mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 48IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 3mg