Stir melted butter with brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth.

Stir in egg, vanilla, salt, and baking soda.

Stir in flour until just mixed, then stir in chocolate chips.

Scoop 2 tablespoon size cookie dough balls onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. No need to space; they need chilling.

Chill about 10-15 minutes, or until you can handle the dough but it’s not hard. While chilling, prepare the caramels. Unwrap about 10 caramels (half of however many dough balls you have) and cut them in half.

Once dough is cold enough to handle, press half a caramel into the center of each ball and wrap the dough around it. Make sure the caramel is completely covered.

Chill dough again for a minimum of 30 minutes, up to overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Space cookies 2-3-inches apart on cookie sheets. Bake 10-15 minutes or until they are light golden brown around the edges and have lost their glossy sheen.

While they’re cooking, cut remaining caramels into small pieces (about 4-6 pieces each).

Press about 3 caramel pieces onto the tops of the hot cookies as soon as they come out of the oven. Sprinkle hot cookies with sea salt. Let cool before removing from cookie sheets.