1-First Step: Prepare Your Ingredients and Equipment Before you begin, gather all your ingredients and equipment. Take the butter out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before baking so it softens to room temperature. This is crucial for proper creaming with the sugars. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. If you’re making homemade caramel, prepare it first and allow it to cool slightly before using. Having everything measured and ready will make the process smoother and more enjoyable.

2-Second Step: Cream the Butter and Sugars In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat these ingredients together for about 3-5 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. This process incorporates air into the dough, which helps create a lighter texture. Don’t rush this step proper creaming is the secret to achieving the perfect cookie texture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally to ensure even mixing. The mixture should become pale in color and have a creamy, mousse-like consistency when properly creamed.

3-Third Step: Add Eggs and Vanilla Add the eggs one at a time to the creamed butter and sugar mixture, beating well after each addition. This gradual incorporation ensures the eggs emulsify properly with the fat, creating a stable dough structure. After the eggs are fully incorporated, add the vanilla extract and mix briefly to combine. The vanilla enhances the overall flavor profile and pairs beautifully with the caramel notes. At this point, your mixture should be smooth and glossy. If you’re using a stand mixer, you may want to switch to a lower speed to prevent incorporating too much air, which could cause the cookies to spread too much during baking.

4-Fourth Step: Combine Dry Ingredients In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. This step ensures the leavening agent is evenly distributed throughout the flour, which is essential for uniform rising. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed just until combined. Be careful not to overmix at this stage, as overworking the dough can develop the gluten in the flour, resulting in tough cookies. Stop mixing as soon as you no longer see streaks of dry flour. The dough will be thick and somewhat sticky at this point.

5-Fifth Step: Incorporate the Caramel Fold in the chopped salted caramel candies or swirl in the homemade caramel sauce using a spatula or wooden spoon. If using chopped candies, distribute them evenly throughout the dough. If using caramel sauce, create a marbled effect by gently swirling it through the dough without fully incorporating it. This method ensures you’ll have distinct pockets of gooey caramel in each salted caramel sugar cookie. For stuffed cookies, you can also wrap a small amount of chilled caramel inside each ball of dough. However you choose to add the caramel, work gently to maintain the marbled effect.

6-Sixth Step: Chill the Dough Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes. Chilling is essential for two reasons: it solidifies the fat in the dough, which prevents the cookies from spreading too much in the oven, and it allows the flour to hydrate fully, resulting in a better texture. If you have time, chilling for 1-2 hours yields even better results. You can also refrigerate the dough overnight for convenient baking the next day. When ready to bake, let the dough sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes to make scooping easier.

7-Final Step: Bake and Cool Scoop the chilled dough into 2-inch balls and place them on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space between each cookie. Lightly sprinkle the tops with sea salt flakes for an extra burst of flavor and visual appeal. Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden but the centers still appear slightly underbaked. This technique ensures chewy centers. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. The residual heat will finish cooking the centers to perfection. Once cooled, your salted caramel sugar cookies are ready to enjoy!