Very little is better in life than a big, warm, thick, chocolate chip cookie.
Except when that big, warm, thick cookie is stuffed with a plump caramel.
We’re closing in on almost one year since I posted the Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups and since that recipe continues to be popular with readers and on Pinterest, I decided to one-up it.
Because stuffed cookies will always one-up their unstuffed counterparts. Fact.
The beauty of this recipe is that you don’t need a mixer (cookie dough without a mixer!), it’s made in one bowl, and you don’t have to chill the dough.
If you’re prone to having your cookies spread or not bake up as thick as you wish, this recipe just answered your cookie prayers because they’re baked in a muffin pan and nearly foolproof.
From start to finish, you’re looking 30 minutes between you and warm, thick, stuffed cookie heaven.
I altered my previous recipe in a few ways. l simply melted the butter in the micro rather than browning it. Feel free to take the extra 5 minutes to brown it if you’d like.
I changed the type and quantity of flour, from 1 1/2 cups bread flour to 1 3/4 cups all-purpose. For most of 2012, I was into baking cookies with bread flour because it makes them chewier. Chewiness is great, but bread flour can also dry out the dough and make the cookies tougher.
After a couple batches of borderline dry and tough cookies, I’ve dropped bread flour in my cookies and have been back to only using all-purpose for most of this year. I usually need slightly more AP flour than bread flour and in this case, I used 1/4 cup more than before.
Finally, I added cornstarch to the dough, a trick I’ve been using for over a year. I’ve used it in at least 15 cookie recipes, including Lofthouse Soft Peanut Butter Chip Sugar Cookies, Lofthouse Soft Sugar Sprinkles Cookies, Pumpkin Spice Cookies, Peanut Butter Coconut Oil Cookies, M&Ms Cookies, Snickers Cookies, Twix Bar Cookies, Caramel Corn Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Smores Cookies.
The cornstarch helps to keep this dough softbatch-style and the cookies stay lighter, without turning into little hockey pucks. And I’ve made plenty of those in my recipe tests.
To make the cookies, melt 1 stick of butter in the micro, stir in 1 egg, sugars, vanilla. Then add flour, baking soda, and cornstarch. Stir in the chocolate chips and you’re ready to start stuffing.
Using a 1/4-cup measure, form a dough ball, stuff a Werther’s Original® Baking Caramels inside.
Seal up the edges to make sure the caramel is completely covered with dough or it will bake into the side of the pan and stick horribly. It’s a real elbow grease-infused hot mess if that happens.
These Werther’s caramels are a dream to work with because they’re wrapped in paper, not cellophane, and unwrapping them takes seconds, not minutes. Anyone who’s used caramels in a recipe knows that it can take 15 minutes to unwrap 2 dozen caramels if they’re wrapped in cellophane. I have literally not made recipes that call for caramels because I loathe the unwrapping process. Problem solved with these.
Strategically place any chocolate chips that are in the bottom of your mixing bowl onto the top and sides of the dough for a nice pop of chocolate. That visual appeal stuff.
The recipe makes exactly 1 dozen cookies but if you don’t need or want all 12 at once, simply refrigerate the unused dough mounds in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 4 months.
As is the case with almost all of my cookie recipes, you can make this dough in advance and then bake only what you need.
The cookies are buttery soft with squishy interiors, and a slight chewiness around the edges. The chocolate is melty and gooey, and will make you reach for the napkins.
After writing a cookbook and a dessert blog for almost 5 years, my husband is largely immune to any sweets I make, and generally not that impressed anymore. On top of that, he’s not a cookie guy (give him ice cream), but he hoarded these and said they’re some of my best cookies ever.
The best part is finding that big buttery, rich caramel in the center.
It’s like digging for a treasure and striking gold.
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Caramel-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 12 Werther’s Original® Baking Caramels, unwrapped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a Non-Stick 12-Cup Regular Muffin Pan extremely well with cooking spray; set aside. I don’t like the cosmetic look of paper liners because of ridges they leave, and have never tested this recipe with them and unsure if they stick.
- To a large microwave-safe mixing bowl, add the butter and heat to melt, about 1 minute on high power. Allow the butter to cool momentarily so you don’t scramble the egg.
- Add the egg, sugars, vanilla, and whisk to combine.
- Add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, optional salt, and stir until just combined; don’t overmix
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Using a 1/4-cup measure, portion out the dough, into 12 equal-sized pieces. I found that a scant 1/4 cup was an ideal size and allowed for 12 cookies. If you use a slightly slightly overfilled 1/4-cup, you may only yield 10-11 cookies. The chocolate chips may be prone to falling out, but just keep pressing them back in, and strategically place chips at the top of the dough mounds.
- To the center of each dough mound, insert 1 caramel. Tuck the sides up the dough up around the caramel so that it’s totally contained and sealed within dough. This is important so it doesn’t touch the sides of the pan while baking since they could turn into sticky, molten mess. Roll each stuffed mound of dough between palms to form smooth balls and place 1 ball into each of the 12 cavities of the prepared pan.
- Bake for about 10 to 11 minutes, or until tops are just set; making sure not to overbake because cookies will continue to cook in pan (carryover cooking) while they cool. Allow cookies to cool in pan for 15 to 20 minutes, or until firm enough to remove. I baked the cookies shown for 10 1/2 minutes and allowed them to cool in pan for 20 minutes. To dislodge cookies if you’re having any trouble, gently run the tip of rubber spatula around the rim of the cavity. Don’t use a knife because it’ll scratch the pan. Or simply invert the pan over a your work surface and tap on the bottom and they’ll pop out. Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Unbaked cookie dough mounds can be stored airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 4 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.
- Adapted from Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Fellow caramel lovers, visit The Werther’s Caramel Shoppe for caramel recipes, tips and tricks.
Reminder to enter the Magimix Colored Vision Toaster Giveaway ($200 Value) and the Outdoor Triple Burner Stove and Artisan Pizza Oven Giveaway ($350 Value)
Have you ever made stuffed cookies? Favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe or recipe that uses caramels?
I really need to try baking chocolate chip cookies in muffin tins. Look how gloriously thick your cookie cups are! I want to try this with Rolos.
Just be careful – they are super prone to splooging out everywhere. I speak from experience…LOL :)
Averie, you’re a genius! Baking cookies in a muffin tin…definitely a “why didn’t I think of that! ” moment. :D I’m not a fan of hard candies but it looks like the Werther’s soften up beautifully! *Pinned* and longed for.
Thanks for pinning and yes, these caramels are softer to begin with than the cellophane-wrapper versions; and they stay soft while baking and get probably a little softer. As close to the texture of homemade caramels that I’ve found in mass-produced, readily-available storebought caramels. There are specialty, artisan ones but they don’t count…they’re like $2 bucks EACH :)
Love these! I can never ever get thick cookies, so yeah. Definitely going to try them in a muffin pan! I’ve been planning on making caramel stuffed cookies for forever, but the bag of caramels never seems to last very long. Might have to stick it out for these, though. :)
I love an unsuspecting cookie cup that looks a little normal, but then BAM– something surprising and sweet is sinfully tucked in the middle. In this case, caramel (aka, the best filling one could hope for). The only problem with this is, once I bring those square caramels home, it is hard for me to actually bake with them — simply because my mom and I go to town and polish off the entire bag before you can say “recipe.”
I go to town and polish off the entire bag before you can say “recipe.” <--- that happens to me in the summer with berries!
WHOA. These are the prettiest lil cookie cups and they have caramel inside—HOLY YUM!
You are one insane lady. And I mean that in the most endearing way. Every single one of your recipes are uder decadent and this one is just taking it one step further. Where do you get these ideas? PS: My caramel chips will have a home after all. ;-)
Ideas come to me on long runs! Lots of mental time to fill!
This is what I see early in the morning this side of the world and all I want is one of them for breakfast!! They look so yummy!! Xx
Totally right, very few things in life are better than a warm chocolate chip cookie but add caramel and I am all over it! Caramel is to me, what pb is to you! Naturally I could eat 1o of these, a la mode of course :)
What a fun idea. These would be such a fun treat for little kids at a party where you could tell them to “wait for the surprise inside!” They must be great if after all the desserts you make Scott was hoarding. Also, it’s like a cookie/muffin so my boys will feel like they are getting more bang for their buck: muffin = more volume! :-) Great recipe, Averie!
Volume eating, i.e. value eating, is always nice, isn’t it! And I know your boys would love these!
Here’s a semi unrelated story. When I remodeled my kitchen, I took in one of those caramels to the paint store and asked them to match it for my cupboards. They did not even blink. Like people bring in candy everyday… GREG
What a GREAT story. My local Ace Hardware is in Hillcrest (I don’t know if you’ve been to this part of San Diego) but it’s pretty colorful and I wouldn’t be surprised by that story happening there, actually. And now I’m dying to see a pic of your kitchen!
You asked to see my kitchen so here’s a link https://www.sippitysup.com/how-to-remodel-a-kitchen-in-905-days/ GREG
Caramel and chocolate chip cookies, yes, please! Pinned!
Thanks for pinning!
I’m so dying over that melty center. Cookie cups rock! And I so need to try cornstarch!
Oh my god, these look gorgeous and chocolatey!! I’m not much of a fan of caramel, so I’m going to use some oreos, and other chocolate mini snacks.
I love the look/texture of them….MMMM! They look so yummy! I want to reach through the monitor so bad and take one or maybe the whole batch!!
The good thing about these is that you don’t have to get your hands messy, like you do when you roll them into cookie balls, and they are easier, because you don’t have to worry about it spreading, not being you favored thickness,etc.
Thank you!!
I will try this soon, bookmarked!!!
These cups look irresistible, I love the caramel centers!
We were commenting on each other’s blogs at the same time! I hadnt seen this when I was oogling your cinn chip cookies!
Goodness gracious, I love everything about these cookie cups! Browned butter, caramel, chewy cookie – heaven!
Oh yum!!! Wish I had one right now :) Pinned!
Thanks for pinning, Stephanie!