Big, soft, and chewy, Caramel Stuffed Cookies with M&M's, chocolate chips, and an ooey-gooey caramel center! Plus, all the tips and tricks you need to make these taste (and look) like they're straight from a bakery!
3/4cup (142g)M&M's of choice(we use peanut butter or pretzel - yum!)
14regular-sizedchewy caramels,halved Note 3
Optional: sea salt flakes
Instructions
MELTBUTTER: Melt the butter in a very large, microwave-safe (not melamine) bowl. Once melted, set aside for 5-10 minutes to cool to room temperature. It's important the butter isn't hot (or even warm) when you add in the sugars or it will melt the sugar and make the cookies greasy.
WET INGREDIENTS: Once butter is COMPLETELY cooled to room temperature, stir in the light brown sugar and white sugar. Whisk until smooth, about 1-2 minutes (the butter and sugars should fully incorporate). Take your time; it may seem like the two won't come together, but keep mixing until completely integrated. Add in one egg and mix to fully integrate. Add in the other egg yolk and vanilla extract. Mix until completely combined.
DRY INGREDIENTS: Add in the salt, baking soda, and white flour. Mix until just combined, being careful to not overmix the dough. Once you've got a thick dough, add in the chocolate chips and M&M's. Stir together and cover the bowl tightly. Place in the fridge and chill for 30 minutes up to 2 hours.
ROLL COOKIE BALLS: Unwrap the caramels and cut in half. Measure out balls of dough (exactly 1.5 tablespoons (35g) in size). Roll into tall cylindrical balls, fully encasing one caramel half in each ball of dough. Place rolled cookie dough balls on a parchment paper-lined plate and place in the fridge for another 30 minutes. Roll out all the dough; you should get around 28 cookies from this dough.
PREP FOR BAKING: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a nonstick liner. Remove 6 cookie balls from the fridge and place them on the pan, giving the cookies plenty of room to spread.
BAKE: Bake for 8-12 minutes, erring on the side of underbaking to keep them soft and chewy. (We like ours right at 9-10 minutes.) Remember, the cookies will bake a little more out of the oven, so take them out as soon as the edges start to lightly brown or the top no longer looks wet. Remove from the oven and immediately press any edges that have strayed out a bit inwards with the back of a metal spatula. If desired, press a few additional chocolate chips or M&M's onto the tops of the cookies. (This makes them look pretty and ensures chocolate in every bite!) If desired, add a tiny sprinkle of sea salt flakes on top of the cookies while the chocolate is still melty. Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining dough until all the cookies are baked -- or freeze some of the dough if you prefer (see step 8).
STORAGE: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They're best enjoyed within 2-3 days. Note that once the cookies have completely cooled, the caramel firms up. These are best served warm or heated in the microwave before eating. Freeze cookie dough as opposed to baked cookies (see next step).
FREEZINGDOUGH: Instead of freezing the baked cookies, freeze the dough! Drop the cookie dough balls on a large sheet pan and freeze until solid. Once solid, transfer the frozen cookie dough balls to an airtight container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To bake: Bake these cookies straight from the freezer. There is no need to thaw, but you may need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time. Bake until the edges are lightly browned, and the center is still soft.
Video
Notes
Note 1: Egg Yolk: Discard or save the white for another recipe -- these cookies won't work with that extra liquid! We love using leftover whites in this egg wrap recipe.Note 2:Flour: If you press a measuring cup into a bag of flour and scoop, you will pack in way too much flour, resulting in the wrong texture of the cookie. To accurately measure the flour, spoon the flour into the measuring cup until its overfilled. Then use the back of a table knife to level the measuring cup at the top.Note 3: Caramels: Our favorite caramels to use in these Caramel Stuffed Cookies are Werther's® Soft (not original) caramels (not sponsored). (Here's a visual of the bag.) Whatever caramels you use, make sure they are not old, stale, or hard, they won't melt nicely in the cookies. Make sure the dough fully encapsulates the caramel so it doesn't leak out.