If Hopper from Stranger Things Was a Cookie… He’d Be This Brown-Butter Dark Chocolate Cookie With Salted Caramel Chunks
If Hopper was a cookie, he’d be this brown-butter dark chocolate one with salted caramel chunks. Strong outside, soft inside, and honestly so good.
Hopper is tough, protective, and stubborn in the best way, but with this soft, warm, loyal heart underneath. So his cookie had to feel exactly like that: deep, dark, intense… but with little pockets of sweetness that hit you out of nowhere.
That’s why this one is my brown-butter chocolate chip base but made with dark chocolate + homemade salted caramel chunks. Warm, rugged, rich, and comforting. Totally Hopper.
Before you start:
You’ll need Salted Caramel Chunks.
I make them at home because they taste WAY better and hold up perfectly in the oven.
Find the full salted caramel chunk recipe here:
Ingredients
Dough
¾ cup unsalted butter, browned and slightly cooled
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
½ cup molasses sugar, packed
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg + 2 egg yolks, room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp kosher salt
1 cup dark chocolate chunks
1 cup salted caramel chunks
If you don’t have molasses sugar:
You can use all light brown sugar + ½ tbsp molasses
OR just light brown sugar alone — still works.
How To Make Hopper’s Cookie
1. Make the dough
In a bowl, mix the browned butter with the light brown sugar, molasses sugar, and granulated sugar. Add the egg, the 2 yolks, and the vanilla. Fold in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix in the dark chocolate chunks and the frozen salted caramel chunks.
2. Quick chill
Place the bowl in the fridge or freezer for 10–15 minutes — just enough to firm up the dough so it’s easy to scoop (Do not fully refrigerate. Just a short chill).
3. Scoop the dough
Take the bowl out and, using a cookie scoop or a regular spoon:
Scoop the dough directly from the bowl
Each portion should be about 2 tablespoons of dough
Place each scoop onto a small tray or plate lined with baking paper
Keep scooping until all the dough is portioned out.
4. Freeze the scooped dough
Transfer the tray of dough balls to the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
This step is super important:
it keeps the caramel inside
it stops the chunks from leaking
it makes the cookies bake thick and chewy (Hopper energy)
5. Bake
Bake straight from frozen.
350°F / 175°C
10–12 minutes
Edges will look set and the center should still look soft.
6. Cool
Let the cookies sit on the tray so the caramel settles inside.
If you move them too early, they’ll tear.
Why This Cookie Is Hopper?
Dark, warm, a little intense, and full of sweet caramel surprises he’d never openly admit to. Strong on the outside, soft on the inside. Yes—this is Hopper as a cookie.