Step 1

Brown the butter: In a stainless steel skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Swirl the pan occasionally to help the butter melt evenly. The butter will begin to foam, and then the foam will begin to subside and you’ll start to see tiny specks at the bottom of the pan, stir with a heat resistant spatula or wooden spoon and constantly stir and scrape so milk solids that are browning don’t stick. (These are what give brown butter it’s yummy flavor.) As soon as the butter turns chestnut brown and omits a nutty aroma, remove the pan from the heat and scrape the brown butter and all of the delish brown bits into a heat proof bowl. It’s important to remove to a bowl immediately so the residual heat from the pan doesn’t burn the butter. Set aside & cool while you prepare the rest of the cookies.

Step 2

Unwrap the soft caramels and chop them into small pieces. It’s important they’re pretty tiny so they don’t ooze out of the cookies. Toss the chopped caramel pieces in a little flour in a small bowl to prevent the caramel from clumping together. Set aside.

Step 3

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl: flour, cake flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Step 4

Whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar and slightly cooled brown butter in a large mixing bowl. Then whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract until combined.

Step 5

Fold in the flour mixture.

Step 6

Add in the chocolate chips and chopped caramel pieces, fold just until combined.

Step 7

Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Step 8

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Step 9

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Step 10

Using a 2 Tbsp. cookie scoop, scoop cookies onto prepared baking sheets. Or you can use your hands to roll into balls.

Step 11

Bake in the preheated oven for 9-11 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden brown and the centers look done but still gooey. Remove from the oven.

Step 12

If the caramel has escaped from the cookies a little, it’s OK! While the cookies are still warm, place a circular cookie cutter or a circular drinking glass around one of the cookies (it should be larger than the cookie so you don’t cut off any edges) and give the cookies a spin. Swirling the cookie should help to smooth out any uneven edges and as the cookie cools further you’ll be able to easily pinch away any escaped caramel puddles.

Step 13

Sprinkle the tops with sea salt and enjoy! Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.