If you love chewy, gooey cookies with a rich caramel flavor, this recipe can quickly become your favorite. I use it for cookie cakes, cookie bars, or as classic chocolate chip cookies. With a little decoration (like frosting, sprinkles, or candies) it can even double as a birthday cake.
What makes this recipe special is simple : its rich caramel flavor and tenderness. Once baked, the cookies have a soft center with golden edges, and stay soft for a few days.
Some things to note :
- Brown sugar adds molasses flavor and moisture. This makes the cookies chewy, their toasty color and gives them a distinctive caramel taste.
- Gentle mixing keeps cookies thick and tender. Overmixing builds gluten, which makes them spread (melt when baking) and hard.
- Letting the dough rest overnight hydrates the flour, firms the butter, and develops richer flavors.
1 egg
160 g flour + 50 g if necessary
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips (you can mix milk and white / peanut butter / butterscotch)
1/2 cup nuts (optional)
6-8 marshmallows or chocolate caramel bars or cream filling (hazelnut or pistachio or almond cream).
Method
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In a bowl, cream the butter with both sugars. Add the egg and vanilla.
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Fold in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix only until combined.
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Fold in chocolate chips and nuts if using.
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Refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
For classic cookies
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Scoop portions of dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. I usually make 2-1/2 inch round disks about 1 inch thick.
Bake at 180°C / 350°F for 10–12 minutes. The centers should look/feel slightly soft.
(You can also sandwich cookies by filling with chocolate hazelnut cream or a marshmallow inside)
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| A layer of cookie dough topped with some chocolate-covered marshmallow bears |
For a cookie cake
- Spread half the dough into a 23 cm (9-inch) round, square, or rectangular pan.
Press edges 1 cm higher than the center to hold the filling.
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Add your filling of choice: marshmallows, slices of candy bars, peanut butter cups, almond cream, speculoos spread, or a mix (I've tried them all, there are some great combinations I'll let you discover on your own)
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Top with the remaining dough.
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Bake at 180°C / 350°F for 20–25 minutes until edges are golden and the center is set but soft.
Tips
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Let the cake cool before cutting. Marshmallows are hot and gooey out of the oven, for the good of all mankind!
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Try flavor twists: hazelnut cream with marshmallows (my boss once said I was asking for a raise with this one), pistachio cream with chocolate bits for a nutty and less sweet option (but color oh so surprising), or speculoos spread with sliced chocolate bars for a bold cinnamon mix.
Enjoy warm or cooled, with friends or as a treat for yourself !
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A rectangular sheet cake filled with pistachio cream and marshmallows. |
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| Side note : I didn't use dark brown sugar for this version, but a lighter sugar and the dough is lighter in color. |
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