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Where are my caramel macchiato fans at?! Super Dad and I will rarely order anything else when visiting our favorite local coffee shops. So when we were trying to come up with the perfect cookie flavor for National Cookie Day, I had to try these caramel stuffed macchiato chocolate chip cookies. And let me tell you, they came out SO good… the third time I made them!
I found the initial, caramel macchiato thumbprint recipe on the Betty Crocker website, though I did change it a bit. Honestly, the first two batches were a disaster. I couldn’t quite figure out how to incorporate the caramel without making a HUGE mess or making our fingers super sticky. The first time, I tried the thumbprint on top of the cookie and it kind of melted all over the place. The second time, I drizzled it all over the top of each cookie and they were really hard to handle. While they were yummy, our hands were super sticky.
My Nana always told me if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. So, for the third batch, I decided to try stuffed cookies. Placing the caramel inside each ball of dough seemed to do the trick (though there were a few that fell out of the bottom once they were cooked, so make sure that the caramel is in the center of each dough ball, and have the dough covering the caramel completely, all around. I found that setting the piece in the center and then rolling the dough around it, worked well.

Caramel Stuffed Macchiato Chocolate Chip Cookies
Description
If you love caramel macchiatos, you will absolutely love the cookie version! We took chocolate chip and espresso cookies and stuffed them with caramel.
Ingredients
- 1 pouch sugar cookie mix
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- ½ cup butter (melted)
- 3 tsp instant espresso powder
- 1 tbsp hot water
- 1 bag chocolate chips (semi-sweet or dark)
- 14 oz bag caramels
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°
- In a mixing bowl, add hot water and espresso powder. Powder should dissolve right away.
- Add cookie mix, flour, vanilla, egg and butter and mix until combined.
- Add chocolate chips and hand stir until well distributed.
- Unwrap caramels and cut them in half.
- Shape dough into 1in balls with one or two pieces of caramel in the center of each dough ball.
- Place dough balls into the freezer for 5 minutes.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes and let cool for 2 minutes. Transfer to cooling racks and allow to fully cool.
- Category: Dessert
My kids were honestly unsure about how they were going to feel about these cookies. I think the word “espresso” freaked them out a bit. They were sure they were going to taste like coffee (a flavor that they aren’t quite into at their ages, though I was sneaking sips of my Nana’s iced coffee since I was much younger than them).
Although they were messy, they really loved the first two batches. Truth is, the espresso flavor isn’t as strong as you might think (though you can make it stronger by adding more espresso powder).
The stuffed caramel batch was their absolute favorite. They went back for seconds and even thirds. They were pretty much gone within an hour so they’ve already requested that I make one more batch this weekend. How can I say no to that request? Plus, Super Dad is really looking forward to dunking one into his weekend caramel macchiato! YUM!
If you plan on making these or any of our other recipes, I’d love to hear how they turned out. If you have any other suggestions for how to incorporate the caramel, share it! I’m all for trying new options that I missed!

Sasha
April 23, 2020Looks amazing! Thanks for the recipe. I will try it a few times as well to get it right )
I’m wondering would an actual espresso or a macchiato make it taste even better? Hmm…
★★★★★
Nicole Bertrand
December 10, 2019All I had to do was read the name of these cookies and I was IN! I can’t wait to try them!!
★★★★★
Lyanna Soria
December 7, 2019That looks absolutely delicious and easy to make too! I definitely need to try this caramel stuffed macchiato chocolate chip cookies.
★★★★★
Amber Killmon
December 6, 2019Be still my heart. These look absolutely delicious and must get in my belly.
joy
December 6, 2019beautiful photos, heather. the ones of the gooey caramel coming out are perfection.
Krista
December 6, 2019Yes yes yes yes yes. I’m going to pretend like I just want to make these for a holiday party this weekend, but I really just want to eat them for myself!
Heather
December 6, 2019I won’t tell!
Samantha
December 6, 2019What a cool recipe! I’m not a coffee drinker, but I really like caramel. I bet my mom would love these.
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Kristy Bullard
December 5, 2019These are amazing! You can’t go wrong with chocolate and caramel – they are a magical combination! I pinned your recipe to Pinterest so I don’t lose it.
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katrina Kroeplin
December 5, 2019oh those look amazing! i could take a few of those right now! saving this for later!!!
Jody
December 5, 2019Yum!! I am most definitely making these this Christmas!! Do you think they freeze?
Heather
December 5, 2019The caramel might get hard if you freeze them too long. I haven’t tried it yet but if you do it, let me know!
Amanda M
December 5, 2019Oh these sound straight up heavenly!
Raina
December 5, 2019These look to die for! Great recipe!
Yeah Lifestyle
December 5, 2019What a sweet surprise of caramel in the macchiato chocolate chip cookies, this recipe is calling my name to make it
★★★★★
Tiffany La Forge-Grau
December 5, 2019Nothing beats a cookie with a surprise in the middle. I would love to make these cookies!
★★★★★
Dominique Brooks
December 5, 2019I am not a coffee drinker so I don’t know much about caramel macchiato. However, I do love caramel and I love the smell of coffee. These look like great cookies to try!
Ashley R
December 5, 2019What a delicious twist to a chocolate chip cookie. No wonder you are super mom!
★★★★★
Shelley R Zurek
December 5, 2019You had me at caramel stuffed. Can you prepare me a little gift bag and I’ll be right over to pick it up? lOL
Heather
December 5, 2019I totally would, but they are already gone. I’ll have to make you a new batch 😉
Toni
December 5, 2019These are perfect holiday treats! So good!
★★★★★
jill nunn
December 5, 2019Caramel Macchiato is my perfect drink so this would be my perfect cookie! Saving the recipe to try soon!
★★★★★
Dana Brillante-Peller
December 5, 2019These chocolate chip cookies look delicious! Caramel is one of my weaknesses.
Myrah Duque
December 5, 2019We LOVE Caramel, so these cookies will be a hit! We attempted to make them and the mess was big, but all so worth it. I love the espresso flavor, that’s different.
Emman Damian
December 5, 2019I want these Caramel Stuffed Macchiato Chocolate Chip Cookies! It looks so yummy! Hope to buy ingredients soon!
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Catalina
December 5, 2019Oh my goodness! I am in heaven! Chocolate chip cookies are always a hit in our house!
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kumamonjeng
December 5, 2019These cookies are perfect for our Xmas party and I have to start making them now.
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Sherry
December 5, 2019These cookies are just calling my name. I can never say no to anything stuffed with caramel.
Kathy
December 4, 2019These cookies look amazing. I love that they are caramel stuffed too. I definitely need to try these.
Celebrate Woman Today
December 4, 2019I love caramel and this would be my treat. I have saved the recipe and will attempt it this season.
Amy Desrosiers
December 4, 2019These caramel stuffed cookies look amazing! I am a sucker for a good cookie like these!
Angelica Sereda
December 4, 2019yum, yum, yum! My kids would love these. May have to bake these with them and leave them out for Santa.
Eileen M Loya
December 4, 2019My grandson would love these cookies. Anything with chocolate chip is sure to be his favorite. I am saving your recipe and making this for him on the weekend!
Lashunta
December 4, 2019Wow! These sound amazing. I am not too good at baking but I’m gonna give these a try soon.
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Cristina Petrini
December 4, 2019You won me over to the word caramel! I love infinitely! Yummy!
★★★★★
Liz Mays
December 4, 2019Wow that caramel looks seriously good. I’d really like to try making a batch of these cookies.
Bill Sweeney
December 4, 2019What another awesome holiday sweet treat recipe! This is something that will be a hit!
★★★★★
Jessica Collazo
December 4, 2019OMG this looks so so good and delicious… Is a perfect cookie recipe for the holidays it will be great with some hot cocoa…
Julie Cao
December 4, 2019These caramel stuffed macchiato cookies look so yummy. It is a perfect treat for the holidays.
★★★★★
GiGi Eats
December 4, 2019OMFG. STAPPPP IT! Hottttt damn these sound absolutely OUT OF THIS WORLD delicious!!!!!! Gahhh! Now I need to make themmm!
Heather
December 4, 2019Let me know what you think!
Monica
December 4, 2019Super yummy! I really need to up my holiday cookie-making game and knew I would find just what I need here. I’m getting all my supplies and ingredients ready this weekend. The super mom life indeed!
★★★★★
Heather
December 4, 2019Can’t wait to hear how they turn out!