Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

The weather is heating up around here - and when I say heating up, I mean we're hitting the mid-20's in the early morning. To us, though, it feels like Spring is peeking it's beautiful face around the corner. Unfortunately, I know darn well the Winter season won't leave us alone until May. I think it snowed here once in July, so I'm not holding my breath. One can dream, right?

This past week was absolutely insane. I remember looking at my schedule thinking: how on Earth am I going to get through this?! And not only surviving through the chaos, but making sure to pour my heart into each task. Then I remembered some wise counsel:

Take it one day at a time.

And if not one day at a time, one hour at a time, or minute at a time.

I'm happy to report: I made it through unscathed. And these cookies were the perfect treat to celebrate at the close of such a hectic week. I may have had more than my fair share in just one sitting.

A little bit of salt and a little bit of sweet can go such a deliciously long way. I am obsessed with sea salt - and I can't stop using it in my chocolatey desserts. These cookies were a match made in heaven. When you first bite into the warm chocolate-chip loaded cookie, you taste the rich and melty chocolate. Immediately after, the caramel sets in - it's like velvet, and is so incredibly soft. Then the grand finale comes in it's full glory: the sea salt ties everything together in this unforgettable symphony of flavor.

Needless to say, when I handed Ryan some of this cookie's heavenly dough, he instantaneously said:
 

This is my new favorite cookie.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
makes about 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
2 C all-purpose flour
2 T cornstarch
1 t baking soda
1/2 t sea salt
3/4 C unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 C brown sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 t vanilla extract
1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 C caramel bits (Kraft has a really great version)
sea salt, for sprinkling

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prep a cookie sheet with cooking spray, baking mat, or parchment paper.
2. In a separate large bowl, combine dry ingredients: flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and sea salt together with a whisk and set aside.
3. In the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars until smooth and creamy (about 2-4 minutes). Add egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients.
4. Throw in the chocolate chips and caramel bits. Combine with dough. Form cookie dough into balls for baking. Space on cookie sheet about 2 inches from each other. Sprinkle each cookie with a little sea salt.
5. Bake cookies for 10 minutes. Let the cookies cool on baking sheet for a minute or two, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe Source: two peas and their pod