Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Prep
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and line baking sheets with parchment.
- Whisk the all-purpose flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt until evenly combined.
Cream and combine
- Beat the softened unsalted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until very light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla extract.
- Fold in the flour mixture until no dry streaks remain.
- Fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips and soft caramel bits or chopped soft caramels.
Bake
- Scoop the dough into 2-tablespoon rounds and place them on the prepared sheets.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes at 375°F until the edges are golden but the centers still look slightly underdone.
- Immediately press extra semi-sweet chocolate chips and caramel onto the tops if desired.
- Sprinkle generously with flaky sea salt, then cool on the pan for 5 minutes.
Notes
For the best texture, cream the butter and sugars until noticeably lighter in color and fluffy, then stop mixing as soon as the flour is incorporated to keep the cookies tender. Store airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days; freeze baked cookies up to 2 months. For a swap: use gluten-free 1:1 baking flour in place of all-purpose flour (baking soda and cornstarch stay the same) for gluten-free cookies.