Recipe :: Salted Caramel Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

This weekend we had a bunch of family in town, so I decided to whip up some cookies for everyone to nibble on as we caught up with each other.  I stumbled upon this recipe for Salted Caramel Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies and knew I had to give them a shot.  And can I just say...WOW!  I have always loved the combination of sweet and salty, and the pecans gave them another layer of earthy depth.  The cookies were a smashing success, recipe below!

Salted Caramel Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes approximately 2 dozen

3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans (Tip: If you like nuts, I'd even change this to 2/3 or 3/4 cup.  Don't chop them too fine, still want them to be nice and chunky)
16 wrapped caramels, cut into 4 or 5 pieces each
sea salt

Directions:

Line an ungreased cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Set aside.

In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars together on medium speed until fluffy and light in color. Mix in egg and vanilla. Scrape down the sides as needed. On low speed, mix in flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans. Dough will be thick and sticky. Chill for at least 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Drop 1 Tbsp balls of dough onto cookie sheet or use a standard-sized cookie scoop. Lightly press a few pieces of caramel onto the tops of the cookies.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, until barely golden brown around the edges. Do NOT cook them longer than 10 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle cookies with sea salt (Tip: The recipe called for the sea salt to be sprinkled on the cookies before putting them in the oven, but I have found when I have done this with other recipes in the past that the salt melts into the cookies, which is why I waited until after).  Let cool for 3 minutes on the cookie sheet. Transfer to cooling rack.

*Make sure to keep dough cold at all times while the batches are baking. I kept my dough in the refrigerator in between batches. Do not drop dough onto warm cookie sheets; allow sheets to cool between batches.