Bursting with two types of cocoa plus caramel and rolled in cinnamon and sugar, these chocolate caramel churro cookies are a decadent twist on the classic churro treat.
Unpopular opinion: chocolate cookies are not my favorite. I prefer a rich chocolate chip, a buttery sugar cookie, or a classic snickerdoodle (or my super loved browned butter cinnamon chip snickerdoodles!). I wanted to create a decadent chocolate cookie that was not only full of chocolate flavor, but also boasted other complimentary flavors that enhanced the chocolate and gave it intrigue. Enter caramel and cinnamon. My mind immediately began concocting a churro-like cookie, and these chocolate caramel churro cookies were born. Let’s make them.
What you’ll need to make these chocolate caramel churro cookies:
All Purpose Flour
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
Black Cocoa Powder
Baking Soda
Salt
Salted Butter
Dark Brown Sugar (light or golden would work fine as well)
Granulated Sugar
A Large Egg
Soft Caramel Candies
Ground Cinnamon
The Cookie Batter
This delightfully easy cookie batter boasts unsweetened cocoa powder and black cocoa powder for the deepest, richest chocolate cookie. I always use both Scharffen Berger unsweetened cocoa and Modern Mountain black cocoa powders in all of my chocolate baking.
Begin by creaming the butter and sugars is in a medium sized bowl. Add the egg and vanilla, and whisk well, about 30 seconds. Add your dry ingredients: your all purpose flour, both of the cocoa powders, the salt, and the baking soda. Mix until no powder remains, about 30 additional seconds. Using a 4 tablespoon cookie scoop, make balls of cookie dough and set them on a place or a sheet of parchment paper. Using premade soft caramels like these Werthers Caramels, fold a caramel in half so that it resembles more of a square or a circle. Form a small hole in your cookie dough balls, and place the caramel inside. Reform the dough over the caramels covering them completely. Ensure that all of the caramels are covered so that they do not ooze out during the baking process. Roll each dough ball in the cinnamon sugar mixture, and place them on a baking sheet about 3-4 inches apart. Bake at 375° for 13 to 15 minutes. Remove them from the the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the sheet for a couple of minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. You may warm the cookie in the microwave for about 5-10 seconds if you would like the caramel to become melty again in the middle.
The Dietary Substitutions
I love providing gluten and dairy free substitutions so that those with alternate dietary needs can enjoy my recipes to their fullest! These are subs that I have either used and continue to stock in my own home, or that have come highly recommended from others. I want your baking experience to be the best it can be, and avoiding gluten or dairy shouldn’t hinder that process in the slightest.
As always, here is a list of tried and true dietary substitutes, so that you can enjoy this recipe without the additions of gluten or dairy.
Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour is a wonderful all-purpose sub, and it’s cup for cup, so use the same measurements as you would all-purpose flour.
Miyokos butter is a plant based brick that closely resembles dairy butter not only in its look, but it’s taste as well. It melts, browns, and spreads just like real butter, and truly is a fantastic substitute in this recipe. Use it as a 1:1 ratio sub, same as the flour, so the recipe measurements will not change.
If you loved these chocolate caramel churro cookies, I’d be so grateful for you to leave a 5 star rating + review.
Tag @heathershomebakery on Instagram if you upload a pic too, because I want to see your creations.
Lastly, post this recipe to any of your boards by tapping the Pinterest icon and clicking on your favorite photo. Save and enjoy!
XO,
Heather
PS- if you love dark chocolate cookies but prefer them frosted, try my chocolate frosted fudge cookies!
Chocolate Caramel Churro Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- ½ Cup Salted Butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ Cup Dark Brown Sugar, packed (light or golden would work too)
- ½ Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Large Egg
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 ¼ Cups All Purpose Flour
- ¼ Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 2 Tablespoons Black Cocoa Powder
For the Filling + Rolling:
- 8-9 Soft Caramel Candies
- ⅓ Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
Instructions
- In a standing mixer or by hand, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix thoroughly. Add the flour, both cocoa powders, baking soda, and salt, and mix until fully incorporated, about 30 more seconds.
- Gently fold a caramel candy in half, and press it inside a 4 tablespoon cookie dough ball. In a small bowl, mix the cinnamon and sugar. Cover the caramel completely with the dough and roll it in your hands. Toss on each cookie dough ball in the cinnamon + sugar mixture and place on a nonstick baking sheet.
- Bake at 375° for 13-15 minutes. Remove from oven and allowed to cool for two minutes on the baking sheet. Removed cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes 8-9 cookies. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to four days. Enjoy!
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