About These Caramel Stuffed Brownie Cookies
Every single one of these caramel stuffed brownie cookies tastes like a brownie edge piece from my favorite fudgy brownie recipe. Think: fudgy centers, with crisp and cracked edges.
For a fun baking project, I stuffed each cookie with a caramel candy. During the baking process, the caramel melts and turns into a gooey puddle in the middle of the cookie.
I love this recipe so much that I was initially going to include it in my cookbook, Weeknight Baking.
And for even more fun cookie recipes, check out Hummingbird High‘s full collection of cookie recipes! I especially recommend these snickerdoodles (no cream of tartar needed!), these ube crinkle cookies, and these lavender Earl Grey ones.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Now that I’ve convinced you to make these caramel stuffed brownie cookies, here’s everything you need to make the recipe:
Shopping List For Caramel Stuffed Brownie Cookies
- dark chocolate (between 60% to 70% cacao), from whole fèves or a high-quality chocolate bar
- all-purpose flour
- natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- baking powder
- kosher salt
- unsalted butter
- pure vanilla extract
- granulated sugar
- large eggs
- chocolate chips
- soft caramel candies
And let’s talk about some key ingredients and potential substitutions:
Dark Chocolate
You need 10 ounces (284 grams) dark chocolate (between 60% to 70% cacao), from whole fèves or a high-quality chocolate bar to make these cookies.
Dark Chocolate versus Bittersweet and Semisweet Chocolate
In the United States, there’s no official benchmark for the “bittersweet” and “semisweet” chocolate designations. It’s up to manufacturers to determine how much cocoa to use, and percentages will vary greatly from brand to brand. Technically, both bittersweet and semisweet chocolate are considered dark chocolate… but you never know. Because of this, I advise you to ignore these bars and stick with a dark chocolate that lists its cocoa percentage.
Wait, what are chocolate fèves? Are they the same thing as chocolate baking discs and wafers?
Chocolate fèves are a fancy pastry school term for a flat, bean-shaped disc of chocolate. They’re basically made with the same kind of chocolate that baking bars are made of. However, they’re already shaped into easily meltable pieces (saving you from needing to chop up the chocolate yourself!).
The most prominent maker of chocolate fèves is one of my favorite chocolate makers, Valrhona Chocolate. Unfortunately, as much as I love Valrhona chocolate, their chocolate fèves can be hard to find at your average grocery store. I typically buy Valrhona products online at Amazon, King Arthur Baking Company, or Valrhona’s online store. But if you don’t want to buy online, rest assured that other chocolate makers make similar products. Notably, Guittard Chocolate Company makes chocolate wafers. These wafers are similar to fèves, but more circular in shape. I’ve seen Guittard chocolate wafers at select Safeway, Target, and Whole Foods stores.
Do I really need to use fèves? Can I just use chocolate chips?
If there’s one thing I want you to take away from my blog, it’s this: don’t skimp on chocolate! Most grocery store brands—even the ones that offer products specifically made for baking—contain all sorts of additives like paraffin wax and palm oil. These ingredients compromise the flavor and texture of your results. I’ve stopped using chocolate chips in 90 percent of my recipes, and my baked goods have tasted so much better as a result.
That being said, it’s fine to use chocolate chips if you’re using them as a mix-in. The recipe actually instructs you to use some in these cookies! But anytime a recipe instructs you to melt the chocolate, please use good-quality chocolate!
What other chocolate do you recommend besides fèves?
If you can’t find fèves, I also recommend Guittard Chocolate Wafers (which are more readily available in most major supermarkets). If you’re on a budget, I recommend chopping up a Trader Joe’s Pound Plus bar or Ghirradelli baking chocolate bars instead of chocolate chips. Chop up the chocolate into fairly large ½- to 1-inch chunks. Doing so helps give you big chocolate puddles throughout the cookie!
What dark chocolate did you use to make these cookies?
For these cookies, I used Valrhona Caraïbe fèves, which 66% cacao. In general, for this recipe, I recommend using a dark chocolate that is between 62% and 73% cacao (though I simplified that to 60% and 70% in the ingredients list).
The Best Caramel Candy For Caramel Stuffed Brownie Cookies
For this recipe, you’ll need to source caramel candies that are both soft and chewy—not the kind that’s hard and more like a lollipop. Those don’t melt properly in the cookies and won’t result in the gooey, molten caramel centers.
For these cookies, I used Werther’s Original Chewy Caramels, which is available in the candy aisle of most major supermarkets and pharmacies.
How To Make The Recipe
Here are the basic steps to make these cookies from scratch:
- Prep the ingredients for the recipe. (Prep Time: 5 minutes)
If using chocolate fèves or wafers, prep time will take less than 5 minutes. However, if using chocolate bars and chopping them for the recipe, Prep Time will take an additional 5 minutes. - Melt the chocolate. (Work Time: 5 to 10 minutes)
I like to melt the chocolate first, then pour it into a liquid measuring cup. Doing so helps it cool quickly and will prevent you from accidentally cooking the eggs when pouring it into the dough. After this step, I also like to prep and measure out the other ingredients (like the flour, cocoa mix, baking powder, salt, and sugar) to give the chocolate a little extra time to cool. - Make the cookie dough. (Work Time: 10 minutes)
- Scoop the cookie dough. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
At first, the dough will seem too soft to scoop at first. But it will firm up VERY quickly and get too hard to scoop. So work quickly and efficiently while the dough is still soft!
In general, I use a 3-Tablespoon or 4-Tablespoon sized cookie dough scoops to make my cookie recipes. Doing so makes perfect 3- to 3.5-inch wide cookies. - Stuff the cookie dough. (Work Time: 10 minutes)
Next, you’re going to create a “caramel” sandwich with two balls of the cookie dough. Place a caramel candy on top of one cookie dough ball. Then, place another cookie dough ball on top. Smash the two together to cover the caramel candy completely, then roll back into a cookie dough ball (between your hands, like you would Play-Doh). Congrats! You just made one stuffed caramel brownie cookie dough ball. It’s now ready to be baked! - Bake the cookies. (Bake Time: 14 to 16 minutes per batch)
Recipe Troubleshooting and FAQ
Help! The cookie dough firmed up a LOT. It was really hard to scoop. What did I do wrong?
Absolutely nothing! After making the dough, it firms up really quickly (to a texture similar to chocolate ganache or even fudge).
So to make your life easier, immediately scoop the cookies and shape them into individual cookie dough balls after making the dough. It will seem like it’s too soft to scoop at first, but I promise the balls will hold their shape. I recommend buying a 3-Tablespoon sized cookie dough scoop to help you do the job quickly and efficiently.
But if you find that the dough firmed up, no worries! You can use a regular ice cream scoop to portion out the dough instead. Then, use your hands to roll them into cookie dough balls like you would truffles!
How To Store Caramel Stuffed Brownie Cookies
The cookies can be stored in an airtight container or zip-top bag at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Can you freeze caramel stuffed brownie cookies?
Yes! You can freeze the cookies in the following ways:
- Freeze the UNBAKED cookie dough.
Follow the recipe instructions to make the cookie dough and scoop and roll them into cookie dough balls. Place the cookie dough balls in a small sheet pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 1 hour, or until the cookie dough balls are frozen solid. Transfer the cookie dough balls to a zip-top bag and freeze for up to 1 year.
To bake the frozen cookie dough balls, line sheet pans with parchment paper and position the cookie dough balls at least 3 inches apart on the sheet pans. Then, follow the recipe instructions to preheat the oven. Bake for 14 minutes, or until the edges have set but the centers are still gooey, and follow the recipe instructions to top them with marshmallows. - Freeze the BAKED caramel stuffed brownie cookies.
Individually wrap any leftover cookies in two layers of plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. The aluminum foil will prevent the cookies from absorbing any other flavors or odors in the freezer. When ready to serve, transfer to the refrigerator to chill overnight. Rewarm in the microwave or in the oven at 350°F for 5 minutes before serving.
Best Recipe Tips
Tip About Baking Equipment
- The recipe instructs you to use 1 ½ Tablespoons of instant hot cocoa mix. Although you can buy individual 1 ½ Tablespoon measures, most teaspoon measuring sets don’t come with one. So if your set doesn’t come with one, go ahead and use 4 and ½ teaspoons (which is equivalent to 1 and ½ Tablespoons).
- This recipe works best if you have a 3-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop. The 3-tablespoon cookie dough scoop is a major workhorse in my kitchen, and is responsible for the pretty and generous bakery-style cookies you often see on my blog and Instagram. It ensures you get perfectly round cookies that are the same size and shape each time, along with minimizing the mess in the kitchen.
You’re going to use your hands to mold and shape these cookies by pressing two cookie dough balls together. It’s pretty important they’re all the same size—if they’re uneven, the caramel leak out and create a giant mess. If you’re a serious baker (or planning on being one), a 3-tablespoon cookie dough scoop is worth it, I promise. Here’s the exact one I use that I apparently bought back in 2013. There’s no stopping that baby!
Tips About Ingredients
- For this recipe, you’ll need to source caramel candies that are both soft and chewy—not the kind that’s hard and more like a lollipop. Those don’t melt properly in the cookies and won’t result in the gooey, molten caramel centers. For these cookies, I used Werther’s Original Chewy Caramels, which is available in the candy aisle of most major supermarkets and pharmacies.
- In a pinch, you can also substitute other candies. When I was testing this recipe for Weeknight Baking, I baked them with Junior Mints, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and even marshmallows. All were delicious.
The Best Tips For Making The Recipe Successfully and Efficiently
- I like to melt the chocolate first, then pour it into a liquid measuring cup. Doing so helps it cool quickly and will prevent you from accidentally cooking the eggs when pouring it into the dough. After this step, I also like to prep and measure out the other ingredients (like the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and sugar) to give the chocolate a little extra time to cool.
- After making the cookie dough, it will seem too soft. But it will firm up VERY quickly and get too hard to scoop. So work quickly and efficiently while the dough is still soft! I mentioned this already, but I really recommend buying a 3-Tablespoon sized cookie dough scoop to help you do the job quickly and efficiently.
A General Tip About Baking Cookies
- I like to bake the cookies one pan at a time. I find that doing so makes the best cookies, ensuring that none of them have overly burnt bottoms or raw centers. However, to save time, you can bake two sheet pans at a time. Position a rack in the upper-third position of the oven, and a second one in the lower-third position of the oven. Bake a pan on each rack, swapping their positions half way through the Bake Time.
More Chocolate Cookie Recipes
- Flourless Chocolate Cookies
- Hot Cocoa Cookies With Marshmallow
- My Best Easy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
- Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe, Elevated
- Triple Chocolate Cookies
- Vegan Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Get the Recipe: Caramel Stuffed Brownie Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 ounces (284 grams) dark chocolate (between 60% and 70% cacao), from whole fèves or a high-quality chocolate bar roughly chopped into 1- to 1 ½-inch pieces
- ½ cup (4.5 ounces or 128 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ Tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ¼ cups (8.75 ounces or 248 grams) granulated sugar
- 6 Tablespoons (3 ounces or 85 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup (6 ounces) dark chocolate chips
- 12 soft and chewy caramel candies (preferably Werther's Original Chewy Caramels — see baker's notes for substitutions)
Equipment
- a 3-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop
Instructions
- Prep the oven and baking pan. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line three half sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Melt the chocolate. Place the chocolate in the top pan of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl set over a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan filled with a few inches of simmering water (be sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water).Cook over medium heat, using a heatproof rubber spatula to stir the mixture and scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally, until the chocolate is melted, about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the pan or bowl from heat, set on a wire rack, and cool slightly while you prep the dry ingredients.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and kosher salt.
- Cream the sugar, butter, and the vanilla, then add the eggs. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar, butter, and vanilla. Beat on medium until light, fluffy, and doubled in volume, 3 to 4 minutes, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary. Reduce the mixer to low and add the eggs one at a time, adding the next egg only after the previous one has been fully incorporated, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl after each addition.
- Add the melted chocolate, dry ingredients, and chocolate chips. Slowly pour in the melted chocolate and beat until just combined. Gradually add the dry ingredients and beat until just combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl once more, and beat on low for an additional 30 seconds.Add the chocolate chips all at once and beat on medium-low until the chocolate chips are evenly distributed throughout, about 1 minute.
- Assemble the cookies. Use a 3-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop to portion the cookie dough into balls, placing them at least 3 inches apart on the prepared sheet pans.Press a caramel candy directly in the center of 12 of the cookie dough balls. Press another cookie dough ball directly on top of the caramels, creating a "sandwich" with the caramel in the middle. Mold the dough down and around the caramel so that it gets covered completely with cookie dough. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough balls. Note that you're basically making a cookie dough ball that's twice as big as what you scooped—each dough ball should weigh around 2.75 ounces (78 grams).
- Bake the cookies. Bake one pan at a time for 14 to 16 minutes, or until the edges have set but the centers are still gooey.Cool the cookies on the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes, or until the edges and bottoms of the cookies have set and feel firm to the touch.Repeat with the remaining cookie dough.
- Serve and store. Serve warm or at room temperature. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container or zip-top bag at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
- The recipe instructs you to use 1 ½ Tablespoons of instant hot cocoa mix. Although you can buy individual 1 ½ Tablespoon measures, most teaspoon measuring sets don’t come with one. So if your set doesn’t come with one, go ahead and use 4 and ½ teaspoons (which is equivalent to 1 and ½ Tablespoons).
- This recipe works best if you have a 3-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop. The 3-tablespoon cookie dough scoop is a major workhorse in my kitchen, and is responsible for the pretty and generous bakery-style cookies you often see on my blog and Instagram. It ensures you get perfectly round cookies that are the same size and shape each time, along with minimizing the mess in the kitchen. You’re going to use your hands to mold and shape these cookies by pressing two cookie dough balls together. It’s pretty important they’re all the same size—if they’re uneven, the caramel leak out and create a giant mess. If you’re a serious baker (or planning on being one), a 3-tablespoon cookie dough scoop is worth it, I promise. Here’s the exact one I use that I apparently bought back in 2013. There’s no stopping that baby!
- For this recipe, you’ll need to source caramel candies that are both soft and chewy—not the kind that’s hard and more like a lollipop. Those don’t melt properly in the cookies and won’t result in the gooey, molten caramel centers. For these cookies, I used Werther’s Original Chewy Caramels, which is available in the candy aisle of most major supermarkets and pharmacies.
- In a pinch, you can also substitute other candies. When I was testing this recipe for Weeknight Baking, I baked them with Junior Mints, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and even marshmallows. All were delicious.
- I like to melt the chocolate first, then pour it into a liquid measuring cup. Doing so helps it cool quickly and will prevent you from accidentally cooking the eggs when pouring it into the dough. After this step, I also like to prep and measure out the other ingredients (like the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and sugar) to give the chocolate a little extra time to cool.
- After making the cookie dough, it will seem too soft. But it will firm up VERY quickly and get too hard to scoop. So work quickly and efficiently while the dough is still soft! I mentioned this already, but I really recommend buying a 3-Tablespoon sized cookie dough scoop to help you do the job quickly and efficiently.
- I like to bake the cookies one pan at a time. I find that doing so makes the best cookies, ensuring that none of them have overly burnt bottoms or raw centers. However, to save time, you can bake two sheet pans at a time. Position a rack in the upper-third position of the oven, and a second one in the lower-third position of the oven. Bake a pan on each rack, swapping their positions half way through the Bake Time.
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Weeknight Baking:
Recipes to Fit your Schedule
Over the past several years of running Hummingbird High, I kept a crucial aspect of my life hidden from my readers: I had a full-time, extremely demanding job in the tech world. In my debut cookbook, Weeknight Baking, I finally reveal the secrets to baking delicious desserts on a tight schedule.
