Salted Caramel Ritz Cracker Cookies :

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

¾ cup dark brown sugar, packed

¾ cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 ¾ cups chopped bittersweet chocolate

roughly chopped butter cracker, plus 8 crackers, broken into halves or quarters, divided

15 soft caramels

Preparation

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and eggs and mix for 2 minutes, until well-combined. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix on low speed for 2 minutes, until incorporated. Fold in the chocolate and chopped butter crackers until evenly distributed. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Scoop about 1 tablespoon of dough and press half of a soft caramel to the center, then cover with another tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball to encase the caramel. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough. Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing 2–3 inches apart.

Press small pieces of the remaining caramels and halved or quartered butter crackers into the cookies. Chill in the refrigerator for another 10 minutes.

Bake the cookies for 12–14 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the pans.

Leftover cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Enjoy!