Description
These Salted Caramel Crunch Cookies offer a delightful blend of sweet and salty flavors, combining buttery cookie dough with toffee bits, crunchy crushed pretzels, and rich caramel chips. Topped with flaky sea salt, they deliver a satisfying texture and irresistible taste perfect for dessert or snacking.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Mix-Ins and Topping
- 1 cup toffee bits
- 1 cup crushed pretzels (preferably salted)
- 3/4 cup caramel chips or chopped soft caramels
- flaky sea salt for topping
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large bowl, use a mixer to cream together the softened unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, which typically takes about 3-4 minutes.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Beat in the eggs one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Then mix in the vanilla extract for flavor.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to evenly distribute the leavening agents and seasoning.
- Mix Dry Ingredients into Wet: Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined to avoid overworking the dough and producing tough cookies.
- Fold in Mix-Ins: Gently fold in the toffee bits, crushed pretzels, and caramel chips or frozen chopped caramels, ensuring an even distribution without deflating the dough.
- Portion and Shape Cookies: Scoop rounded tablespoons of cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Lightly press down each cookie slightly to flatten and enhance crunch.
- Add Flaky Sea Salt: Sprinkle a pinch of flaky sea salt on top of each cookie to create a delicious sweet and salty contrast.
- Bake Cookies: Bake cookies in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the centers are just set but still soft.
- Cool: Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes to firm up, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
Notes
- Use crushed salted pretzels for an excellent contrast to the sweetness of the caramel and toffee.
- If using chopped soft caramels, freeze them beforehand to prevent the caramel from melting into the dough and to minimize spreading during baking.
