Brown Butter Salted Caramel Cookies (Print Version)
Brown-butter cookies with caramel, toffee, chopped pretzels and chocolate chips, finished with flaky sea salt.
# List of Ingredients:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
03 - 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
→ Wet Ingredients
04 - 1 cup unsalted butter
05 - 1 cup packed light brown sugar
06 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
07 - 2 large eggs
08 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
→ Mix-Ins
09 - 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
10 - 3/4 cup toffee bits
11 - 3/4 cup soft caramel candies, chopped into small pieces
12 - 1 cup mini salted pretzels, roughly chopped
→ Finishing
13 - Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
# Step-by-step Instructions:
01 - Place butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Melt and cook, stirring frequently, until it foams and golden-brown bits form at the bottom of the pan, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and fine sea salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, combine the browned butter, packed light brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat until fully incorporated. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then blend in the vanilla extract until smooth.
04 - Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Do not overmix.
05 - Gently fold in the semisweet chocolate chips, toffee bits, chopped caramel pieces, and roughly chopped pretzels until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
06 - Cover the dough tightly and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. For thicker cookies, chill up to overnight.
07 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
08 - Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, portion 2-tablespoon mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them approximately 2 inches apart.
09 - Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the centers are just barely set.
10 - Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle the tops with flaky sea salt. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- Brown butter does something almost magical to a cookie, adding a nutty depth that makes people close their eyes on the first bite.
- The sweet and salty crunch from pretzels and flaky salt will ruin plain chocolate chip cookies for you forever.
02 -
- Watch the butter like a hawk while browning because it goes from perfectly nutty to burnt in under 30 seconds.
- Do not skip the dough chilling step or your cookies will spread into thin, sad puddles on the baking sheet.
03 -
- Reserve a handful of pretzel pieces and chocolate chips to press on top of each dough ball before baking for bakery worthy presentation.
- For thicker cookies, chill the dough overnight and add an extra minute to the bake time.