Three simple words: Salted Caramel Snickerdoodles.
Has a more perfect cookie ever existed? The chocoholics among us may protest, but when it comes to taste and texture, these snickerdoodles take the cake cookie.
Imagine the perfect marriage of taste and texture. On the flavor front, we’ve got a cinnamon-rolled snickerdoodle dough that’s buttery and light with a touch of tang courtesy of cream of tartar (a snickerdoodle must!). And on the texture front, we’re pairing up chewy caramel centers with slightly crisped cookie edges. Bake up this recipe for Salted Caramel Snickerdoodles and the result is the ultimate update on a cookie classic.
For all those with a love of caramel and also a major love of chocolate, don’t miss Caramel-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies. And then keep that cookie party rockin’ with a full lineup of even more tasty treats, including Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Cookies, Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies and more crave-worthy favorites.
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Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 22 soft caramels (See Kelly's Notes)
- 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
- Large-flake sea salt, for garnish
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.
- In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and 1 ½ cups of sugar until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture, beating just until combined.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for a minimum of 2 hours and up to 3 days.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats.
- In a small bowl, combine the remaining ¼ cup sugar with the cinnamon.
- Using a spoon, scoop out about 2 tablespoons of cookie dough and flatten it slightly. Roll a soft caramel into a ball, and then place it in the center of the dough and cover the caramel completely with the dough. Roll the cookie into a ball then lightly roll it in the cinnamon-sugar mixture on all sides. Place the cookie on the baking sheet then repeat the filling process with the remaining dough, spacing the cookies at least 2 inches apart. Sprinkle the tops of each cookie with a small pinch of flake salt.
- Bake the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes until they are slightly underbaked. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes. (See Kelly's Notes.) Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Kelly's Notes:
- I prefer the Werther's Original Soft Caramels because they are easy to roll into a ball and remain soft even after the cookies have cooled.
- It's important to underbake the cookies and let them cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheets before moving them to ensure they retain their shape. If you move them too soon, the caramel will be too soft and may sink to the bottoms of the cookies.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
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Recipe by Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
You need to adjust your 3x recipe. Next to 3 cups of butter you still have two sticks. It should read 6 sticks.
Love this recipe
Thanks for catching that, Monte! I just updated the recipe. I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies!
hello, Have you ever experimented with wheat flour. We would to modify a recipe and make it healthier.
Hi Mel! It’s not a 1:1 swap, so the cookies will be drier and produce a coarser texture. If you try it, I recommend starting with a small amount of whole wheat flour by replacing 25% of the AP flour with whole wheat flour. Let me know if you give it a shot!
I made these using different flavored Werther’s soft caramels, pumpkin spice, cinnamon creme and caramel apple. They were all a huge hit!
YUM! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Nancy!
Best cookies ever!!!
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Lisa!
Aammmaaazzziiinnggg!!!!
I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Dee!
These are delicious!!! I was wondering if you had any tips to keep the tops of the cookies from sinking into the caramel? Mine looked like little donuts with caramel centers
Hi Annie! I’ve never experienced that before but maybe you could flatten the caramels slightly to make them thinner?
OMG, these cookies are seriously amazing!! So soft and tasty! Thanks for the recipe. I made these for a cookie party and they were a hit, I will be making them again for Christmas!
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the cookies, Fiona!
Can you freeze these cookies?
Hi Kim – I’ve never tried freezing these so I can’t say with certainty if they’d still have the same texture/taste after defrosting.
These cookies were insanely good! My stepmom (who is a wonderful baker) even said that these were the best cookies she’s ever had!
Hi Kelly
When is the sea salt used on the cookies.
Hi Jackie! Per the recipe: Sprinkle the tops of each cookie with a small pinch of flake salt. Enjoy!
Hi
What brand of large flake sea salt did you use in this recipe.
Hi Jackie! I used Maldon salt. Enjoy!