The Golden Cookie – aka The BEST Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies!
Inspired by my favourite bakery in Golden, British Columbia – these large chocolate chip cookies are chewy in the centre, crisp at the edges, made with soft caramels, and loaded with delicious chocolate chunks! They are the perfect way to treat yourself after a day hiking in the great outdoors!
After trying these cookies once, I was hooked. They became my special treat after reaching the summit of several hikes in Emerald lake, Lake Louise, and Banff! After returning home, I knew I had to try to re-create this special cookie from an incredible vacation!
My Golden Cookie recipe is simple to make, stress-free, and easily the most satisfying caramel chocolate chip cookies out there! A pinch of salt on the tops of these cookies transforms them into the ultimate sweet and salty snack! They rival that of any bakery and are sure to become your favourite too!
These Golden Cookies **aka the BEST caramel chocolate chip cookies** require 10 minutes to prepare, no refrigeration, and less than 15 minutes to bake – they are my favourite kind of delicious and nostalgic baked good to share with friends!
To make these cookies you will need:
- Butter
- Sugar (mixture of Granulated and Light Brown Sugar)
- Eggs
- Flour (All-purpose)
- Chocolate Chunks (roughly chopped mixture of your favourite dark and milk chocolate!)
- Soft Caramels (such as Werther’s, cut in half)
- Baking essentials: baking soda, vanilla extract, salt
Let’s make some Golden Cookies!
Preheat your oven to 350F (325F for convection bake). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
In a small bowl, add flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk mixture to aerate and sift. Set aside.
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat sugars (brown and granulated) with butter.
Add egg and vanilla extract. Stir until combined and scrape sides of bowl until all ingredients are well incorporated.
Slowly add dry (flour) mixture to the wet (butter/sugar/egg) mixture, beating on low speed until just combined.
Add roughly chopped chocolate (mixture of dark and milk chocolate) to the batter. Stir until combined.
Add caramel pieces and stir to evenly combine into dough mixture.
Form balls using ~2 tbsp portions of cookie dough with your clean hands and place onto baking sheet, spaced at least 3″ apart (Note: this recipe makes approximately 10 cookies so you can also measure by dividing the batter into 10 equally sized pieces – aim to have 2-3 caramel pieces in each cookie).
Bake cookies at 350F for ~13-15 min or until the edges are firm to the touch and the cookies are golden brown in colour (mine were perfect after 14 min at 325F convection bake).
Let cookies cool on baking sheet and enjoy!!
The Golden Cookie – aka The BEST Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- 1/2 tsp Kosher or Flaked sea salt + extra for tops of cookies
- 3/4 cup Light Brown Sugar
- 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter softened, room temperature
- 1 Egg large, room temperature
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 12 Soft caramels (such as Werther's) cut in half
- 1 cup Milk and Dark Chocolate roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F (325F for convection bake). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, add flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk mixture to aerate and sift. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat sugars (brown and granulated) with butter.
- Add egg and vanilla extract. Stir until combined and scrape sides of bowl to well incorporate all of the ingredients.
- Slowly add dry (flour) mixture to the wet (butter/sugar/egg) mixture, beating on low speed until just combined.
- Add roughly chopped chocolate (mixture of dark and milk chocolate) to the batter. Stir until combined. Evenly distribute caramel pieces into batter.
- Roll approximately 2 tbsp of dough into rounds and place on baking sheet, spaced 3" apart (Note: this recipe makes approximately 10 cookies so you can also measure by dividing the batter into 10 equally sized pieces – aim to have 2-3 caramel pieces in each cookie).
- **Optional: Refrigerate cookie dough balls for 1-2h to best control the spread of your cookies and ensure a chewy cookie centre. This step is not essential if you are short on time as the caramel in these cookies helps maintain that lovely rustic shape and gooey spread!
- Bake cookies at 350F for ~13-15 min or until the edges are firm to the touch and cookie appears golden brown (mine were perfect after 14 min at 325F convection bake). Remove from oven and sprinkle a pinch of salt on tops of cookies.
- Let cookies cool on baking sheet and enjoy!!
Video
Notes
- To measure flour correctly: Use a spoon to scoop flour into your measuring cup! This ensures you don’t add too much flour to these cookies and end up with dry cookies
- You can easily use your favourite chocolate, roughly chopped, for these cookies! I have tried adding a Skor chocolate bar to add an extra crunchy caramel treat!
- The cookies will continue to crinkle as they cool!
- After scooping, these cookies can be put into a freezer safe bag and stored in the freezer for up to 6 months!! Perfect for your late night caramel chocolate chip cookie snacking needs
- These cookies will last up to 7 days in an airtight container, at room temperature.
Lovely cookies can’t wait to try more