Chocolate Cookies with Salted Caramel Drizzle

Look, I know.  The salted caramel trend has had its day.  But I love it.  Especially with chocolate.  Creamy caramel with that salty bite to it, covering bittersweet chocolate is one of my favorite indulgences.  I've been making these cookies for a while, and they always go fast when I take them to parties, picnics or into work.  Which is why I always hold some back for my personal stash.

These are rich cookies, so I usually make them on the small side, about 1/2-2/3 Tbsp. of dough per cookie.  They also keep well at room temp for about a week, but eventually the caramel starts to run off, so if you make them ahead, hold off on the caramel until you're just about ready to serve.

Chocolate Cookies with Salted Caramel Drizzle
adapted from the cookbook Salt, as seen on The Nest

What's in them:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 oz. bittersweet chocolate (70% cocoa solids), roughly chopped
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
about 20 caramel candies
1-2 Tbsp. milk or cream
1 tsp. fleur de sel, sea salt, or kosher salt


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda and set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugars in a stand mixer on medium high speed until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Continue to beat for 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to slow and add the flour mixture. When that is well mixed, stir in the chopped chocolate.

Put the mixture in the refrigerator for 5 minutes to harden slightly. Scoop very scant tablespoons of the mixture onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake in the preheated oven for 7-9 minutes.  Move cookies to a cooling rack, and continue to bake cookies until dough is gone.

While cookies are cooling, unwrap caramels and put into a microwave-safe bowl.   Add milk or cream, and heat in microwave in 30-second intervals, until caramel is completely melted and smooth.  Stir in salt.

Place cookies back onto parchment-lined pans, and drizzle caramel over each cookie using a spoon, squeeze bottle or pastry bag.How to make them: