Indulge in the delectable world of our Caramel Snickerdoodles – irresistibly soft and chewy cookies coated in a delightful cinnamon sugar blend, and filled with a luscious, gooey caramel center. This recipe is a fall and holiday season favorite of mine, delivering a perfect blend of warmth and sweetness in every bite!
Brown Butter Salted Caramel Snickerdoodles are another delicious way in which you can take your classic Snickerdoodle recipe to the next level!
They're perfect, whether you're looking for a sweet treat with a twist to spice up your holiday party dessert table or just want to indulge in one of your favorite cookies with a little extra something.
Caramel Snickerdoodles have the perfect balance of sweet and salty flavors, thanks to the brown sugar and flaky sea salt garnish.
Great for any occasion, these cookies will surely become the best part of your day!
For more delicious caramel flavors, try my Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies, Salted Caramel Bars, Salted Caramel Cookies with Brown Sugar, and these yummy Twix Cookies!
Ingredients for Caramel Snickerdoodle Cookies
Wet Ingredients. Butter, Vanilla Extract, Egg, Egg Yolk
Dry Ingredients. All Purpose Flour, Granulated Sugar, Brown Sugar, Baking Soda, Cream of Tartar, Salt, Ground Cinnamon
Extras. Soft Caramels, Flaky Sea Salt
How to Make Soft Caramel Snickerdoodles
How to Make Brown Butter
- Melt the Butter in a large saucepan over medium or high heat.
- Stir it consistently while it is heating up, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan. The butter will come to a boil and foam up. Keep stirring.
- Brown bits will be seen throughout the butter as it heats, and then the butter will turn a rich, dark golden color. Be careful not to burn the butter.
- Remove from heat and allow butter to cool. It will partially solidify as it cools, but this is fine.
How to Make Caramel Snickerdoodles
- You can allow the Brown Butter to cool in the bowl of a stand mixer that you'll be using to make the cookies if you like.
- Mix together cooled browned Butter with White Sugar, and Brown Sugar. Mix until combined. Add Egg and Egg Yolk with Vanilla Extract and mix together. The mixture will become light and fluffy.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients of All Purpose Flour, Baking Soda, Cream of Tartar, Salt and Cinnamon. Mix until combined. You can mix the
- Cut the Caramels in half if using long, skinny, soft caramels. Use a size #24 cookie scoop, about 3 tablespoons in size, to scoop balls of dough from the mixture. Place the cut caramels inside the cookie dough and seal it closed.
- Place the balls of dough with their caramel center in a mixture of ⅓ cup sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon.
- Roll the cookie dough balls in the cinnamon sugar mixture, spooning it over the tops of the cookie dough balls to ensure they're fully coated.
- Place the unbaked cookie dough balls on the baking sheet, allowing them to be at least 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 degrees in a preheated oven for 9–11 minutes or until the edges are baked and the center of the cookie is set. Allow the cookies to cool on a baking sheet for a few minutes before moving them to a wire rack to fully cool.
- Garnish with Flakey Sea Salt (optional).
FAQs
You can make the cookie dough ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before baking your cookies. You can also freeze the made-up but unbaked cookie dough balls if you prefer.
Before you bake the cookie dough balls, place them on a cookie sheet and flash-freeze until solid. Then transfer the frozen dough balls to a freezer-safe bag or container, storing them in the freezer for up to 2 months.
They can be baked straight from the freezer; just add an extra 2–3 minutes to the baking time!
The edges will be golden brown, and the center will be set but still soft. They’ll continue to cook slightly once removed from the oven.
Storage & Freezing
Store: Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. These cookies are best enjoyed within 2–3 days of being freshly baked.
Freeze: Freeze cookies in a sealed container or Ziploc bag. Place parchment paper between layers to prevent them from sticking together.
Substitutions & Variations
- Butter. I always use salted butter to make cookies, as it enhances the flavors. If you only have unsalted butter, add If you're out of butter, you can use margarine or coconut oil, though the flavor and texture will be slightly different. Idea. And explain.
- Use almond extract. You can use almond extract instead of vanilla for a different flavor note.
- Add more spices. Cinnamon is essential for a classic snickerdoodle flavor, but for a twist, a pinch of nutmeg or cardamom can add a bit more depth.
- Add-ins. Try adding different kinds of chopped candy, chocolate chunks, or chocolate chips into these cookies to give them even more flavor.
Pro Tips
What makes the perfect cookie? Do your cookies have soft centers and crispy edges, and are they chewy? Each of these is part of what makes a truly great-quality cookie. To make perfect cookies every time, here are some pro tips.
Soft Caramels
In this recipe, I have used Werther's Soft Caramels and cut each of them in half, using both halves inside the cookie dough. Feel free to use your favorite kind of soft caramel for this recipe, though.
Weighing Ingredients.
Baking is a science and adding too much or too little of any of the ingredients will alter the recipe. Weighing and measuring dry ingredients properly makes a world of difference. Investing in a kitchen scale is ideal. When a kitchen scale is not available, make sure to stir and lift ingredients before scooping them into a measuring cup.
| Volume | Ounces | Grams | |
| All Purpose Flour | 1 Cup | 4½ Ounces | 120 Grams |
| Bread Flour | 1 Cup | 4½ Ounces | 120 Grams |
| Granulated Sugar | 1 Cup | 7 Ounces | 200 Grams |
| Brown Sugar | 1 Cup | 7½ Ounces | 213 Grams |
| Confectionary Sugar | 1 Cup | 4 Ounces | 113 Grams |
Mixer.
I always use my Bosch Stand Mixer for making cookies. If you're using a stand mixer, use a paddle attachment for each of the steps to make these cookies.
Cookie Scoop.
Using a cookie scoop keeps each ball of cookie dough the same size, which is essential for ensuring even baking.
Baking Sheets.
You can use an ungreased cookie sheet if you prefer. I like to use Parchment Paper to line baking sheets or a Silicone Mat for easy cleanup.
Baking Time.
Every oven heats a little differently. I recommend doing a test batch of 1-3 cookies to test the baking time for a perfectly baked cookie before baking the remaining dough.
Cookies.
Cookies are perfectly baked when the edges are set and the centers are no longer glossy.
Cooling Rack.
Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a minute or two before moving them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale. I use this for accuracy in measuring, and it's a lifesaver when it comes to consistent baking.
- Wire Rack for cooling cookies. I like to have at least two cooling racks.
- Mixing Bowls. A Large Mixing Bowl for mixing ingredients and small and medium mixing bowls for other ingredients.
- Cookie Sheet. Most recipes will take two batches to bake. It's great to have multiple baking sheets available.
- Parchment Paper or Silicone Baking Mat. Line the Cookie Sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup and to prevent sticking.
- Cookie Scoop. A small #60 Cookie Scoop or a Medium Cookie Scoop #50 are great choices for uniform drops of cookie dough.
- Storage Container. An Airtight Container to store cookies or a Ziploc Bag works great too.
- Additional supplies. Measuring Cups and Measuring Spoons along with a silicone spatula, are all helpful.
To find out more, check out my Pro Tips Guide for making the best cookies every time!
Have you tried this Snickerdoodle Cookie recipe?
Let me know what you think of this recipe! Tag @bestcookierecipes on social media so I can see how great your cookies turned out! I would also love to read your comments below. Let me know what you think of these cookies. It really does help!
More Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipes
- Soft Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Chocolate Snickerdoodles
- Cinnamon Chip Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Eggnog Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Classic Snickerdoodle Bars
- Snickerdoodle Cookie Sandwiches
Caramel Snickerdoodle Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Butter Browned
- 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1 Egg Large
- 1 Egg Yolk Large
- 3 Cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Cream of Tartar
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- Soft Caramels
- Flaky Sea Salt Garnish
Instructions
How to Brown Butter
- In a large saucepan over medium/high heat melt butter
- Stir butter while heating up. Butter will come to a boil and foam up. Keep stirring butter.
- Brown bits will be seen throughout butter. And butter will turn a rich dark golden color. Be careful not to burn butter.
- Remove from heat and allow butter to cool. It will partially solidify as it cools.
How to make Cookie Dough
- In a large mixing bowl mix together cooled browned butter with white sugar and brown sugar. Mix until combined. Add egg and egg yolk with vanilla extract and mix together. Mixture will become light and fluffy
- Gradually add dry ingredients of All Purpose Flour, Baking Soda, Cream of Tartar, Salt and Cinnamon. Mix until combined
- Cut Caramels in half if using long skinny soft caramels and stuff inside of scoop of cookie dough.
- Use a size #24 cookie scoop, about 3 tablespoons in size. Place cut caramel inside cookie dough and seal closed.
- Roll cookie dough in sugar mixture of ⅓ cup sugar and 2 teaspoon cinnamon.
- Place on baking sheet allowing at least 2 inches apart
- Bake at 350F degrees in a preheated oven for 9-11 minutes or until edges are baked and center of cookie is set.
- Allow cookie to cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before moving to a wire cooling rack.
- Garnish with Flakey Sea Salt (optional)
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