Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

My new actress friends said these were the best cookies they'd ever had. Now...they're not the best cookies I'VE ever had, but I have a pretty high bar. Like...cookies are sorta my thing. They're my boo. My bae, if you will.

Speaking of bae...um...I'm officially at that age where I don't understand the slang the teens are using. It makes no sense. Like, apparently bae used to stand for "before anyone else" but now it's also an adjective? Like "that skirt is so bae!" "Tbh I think you're bae <3" etc. Kids today. *snort* that's not even the worst of it! Being around my teenaged cousins is just reeeeally driving home the fact that I am SO not that age anymore. And when I was we didn't have such a weird language. Like...I didn't even have texting yet.

But I digress.

I had a bunch of my beloved salted caramel sauce just aching to be used in another recipe and when I saw I had bookmarked (like..ages ago) a recipe for Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies I was like "Well...yeah. That's gonna happen."

And so I made some giant cookies with salted caramel mixed in. And they turned out sturdy yet gooey and full of salty and sweet goodness. They were great. An awesome chocolate chip cookie recipe.

BUT....I didn't taste the caramel. Which bummed me out. Perhaps the caramel added to the texture and gave them a bit of extra caramelized flavor but for some reason my brain had expected more caramel. But this was my brain's bad. Its expectations were unrealistic and these cookies are not to be faulted for such things!

Michael fully agreed that these cookies were awesome. He happily stated that they weren't falling apart the way, apparently, many of my cookies do (they do not). And they found their way into my adorable case worker's lunch for a few days. And they were MY lunch for a couple days too.

That's nutritious...yeah?

So, here's the moral of this cookie story:

These cookies are tasty.

They're yummy.

And nummy.

BUT...don't waste your beloved salted caramel sauce on them. Or perhaps just buy any old caramel sauce to throw in. All I know is I just wish I had more of my homemade sauce left....to just spoon into my mouth.

*sniffle* Cookie...you were great. I just wish my caramel hadn't had to perish for you to liiiive.*

overdramaaaatic

Eat yo'self some cookies, and don't mind the little drama queen that is moi.

Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from Picky Palate

Makes approx. 17-20 large cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks (16 tbsp.) softened butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs
• 1 and 1/2 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup caramel sauce + 2 tbsp. divided
• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 and 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 cups dark chocolate chips + extras to press into tops of the dough (optional)
• Sea salt (or kosher salt), for sprinkling

Preparation:

• Using a mixer, beat together the butter and sugars until fluffly-a couple minutes.
• Beat in the eggs, vanilla, and 1/4 cup caramel sauce.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Slowly mix into the wet ingredients.
• Stir in chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Gently fold/swirl 2 tbsp. caramel sauce into dough. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes, or as long as overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350F degrees and prepare a large baking sheet by spraying with nonstick cooking spray or lining with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Scoop out 1/4 cup balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheet (using a large cookie scoop or a measuring cup). If desired, press extra chocolate chips into the tops of the dough mounds. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until golden around the edges (place unused dough back in the refrigerator). Remove and let sit on the sheet for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with sea salt and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat until all the cookies are baked.
• Store at room temperature, in an airtight container, for up to 4 days.

COOKIE COOKIE COOKIEEEEE