Salted Caramel and Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Oh how I love salted caramel!  My ears perk up with joy when I hear those glorious words – salted caramel.  It is the sweet and salty thing along with the richness of the caramel that just makes me swoon.  I pinned these cookiesseveral weeks ago and know I had to make them soon.  I altered them a bit, but they were quite tasty as the orginal recipe.

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That moment came last week, when I was appointed to be the ambassador to two branches for our CEO Town Hall Road Show.  I wanted to make some homemade treats for each branch and make it special.  For the first branch, I made a Pumpkin Coffee Cake that kicked off the fall season since it was early in the morning. The second branch was late morning and cookies were the perfect snack.  I made a lemon crinkle cookie with lemon glaze and this Salted Caramel and Chocolate Chunk Cookie.  Both cookies were a hit and by mid afternoon, the platter with dozens of cookies was a mere white platter with crumbs scattered.

I recently found these Caramel Bits in the baking aisle at Safeway and instantly threw them in my basket.  What a glorious find and so perfect for cookies.  The addition of the flaked fleur de sel on top added that extra punch to the cookie.  My co-workers loved the salt on top and raved about how delicious they were.  I will have to post the lemon crinkle cookies soon – if you are lemon lover, you will jump up and down for these.

Salted Caramel and Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Makes approximately 5 dozen

2 ½ Sticks Butter, softened

1 ½ Cup Dark Brown Sugar

½ Cup Sugar

2 Eggs

1 Tablespoon Vanilla

1 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 ½ teaspoon Baking Powder

2 Cup Cake Flour

1 ½ Cup Bread Flour

2 Cup Chocolate Baking Chunks

1 ½ Caramel Bits

Flaked Sea Salt

In a bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugars.  Beat in the eggs and vanilla followed by the remaining dry ingredients.  Mix in the caramel bits and chocolate chunks.  Chill dough for 2 to 3 hours or until chilled thoroughly.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet.  Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop dough, being sure to avoid caramel bits on the bottom.  Space dough 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Top each one with a pinch of the flaked salt prior to baking.  Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Let set for 2 to 3 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.