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Caramel Snickerdoodles

These Caramel Snickerdoodles are such a delicious twist on snickerdoodles with a caramelly brown butter based cookie surrounding a sweet gooey caramel surprise in the middle. They have such a rich flavor, and chewy texture you'll want to make this recipe again and again.
5 from 2 votes
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Brown Butter, caramel snickerdoodles, caramels, Cinnamon Sugar, Snickerdoodle Cookies, Snickerdoodles
Prep Time: 18 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Cooling Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 28 cookies
Calories: 204kcal

Ingredients

For the Cookie Dough:

  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 TBS vanilla extract
  • 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour (spooned and leveled, or weighed)
  • 2 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 28 Soft Caramels

For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating:

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 TBS ground cinnamon
  • flakey sea salt

Instructions

  • Put butter in a large pot. Heat over medium heat. 1 cup unsalted butter
  • Allow the butter to continue cooking, stirring often as it melts, then bubbles and foams. Scrape the sides and watch for it to get a nutty smell, and start to turn to an amber color. Remove from heat. 
  • Pour butter into a separate bowl and allow to sit for about 30 minutes. 
  • Cream together the butter (still melted) sugar, and brown sugar for 2-3 minutes until it starts to get smooth. 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • Add in the eggs and vanilla extract and stir until just combined. 2 large eggs, 1/2 TBS vanilla extract
  • Add in the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Stir until combined. 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour, 2 tsp cream of tartar , 1 tsp baking soda , 1 tsp baking soda
  • Cover the dough and place it in the fridge while the oven preheats.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper, or silicone liners, and set it aside.
  • Scoop the dough by 1.5 to 2 TBS portions.
  • Flatten the dough between your hands and place one unwrapped caramel into the middle of the cookies. (If the caramels are large cut them in halves) 28 Soft Caramels
  • Roll the Dough around the caramels to cover the caramel completely.

For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating:

  • Add the sugar and cinnamon to a small bowl, and whisk them together. 1/2 cup granulated sugar , 1 TBS ground cinnamon
  • Roll the cookie dough balls into the cinnamon sugar mixture and place them on the prepared baking sheet, at least 3 inches apart.
  • Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the tops are crinkled and the edges are lightly golden.
  • Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet. Sprinkle the tops with flakey sea salt.
  • After 5 minutes, transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

  • Browning the Butter – Don’t rush browning the butter over high heat, and make sure you are watching it closely to avoid burning it. You want specks of brown in the butter and a nice golden amber color throughout. Stir it almost constantly as it cooks until you get that lovely color and perfect nutty scent.
  • Chilling the Dough - The dough shouldn't need to be chilled longer than 10 minutes as long as you let the butter cool enough before mixing it into the dough. If your dough feels extra soft though, or if you bake cookies and they are flatter than you'd like then I recommend chilling the dough for another 30 minutes to 1 hour.
  • Microwave the Cookies - I love eating the cookies fresh best, but after storing then I love zapping them in the microwave for about 8 seconds to soften the caramel back up again. So good!

Nutrition

Calories: 204kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 113mg | Potassium: 84mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 227IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg