Description
Delight in these Salted Caramel Snickerdoodles, a perfect twist on the classic cinnamon-sugar cookie. Soft, chewy snickerdoodles are rolled in a spiced sugar coating, baked to perfection, then filled with luscious homemade salted caramel. The finishing touch of flaky salt adds a delightful balance of sweet and salty that will satisfy any sweet tooth.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cookies:
- 2 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Cup unsalted butter
- 1 Cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 Teaspoon salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon baking soda
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Sugar Coating:
- 1/4 Cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 Teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
For the Caramel:
- 1 Cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 Cup unsalted butter
- 7 Ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 4 Ounces corn syrup
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- Salt flakes, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and prepare two cookie trays by lining them with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure easy cleanup.
- Make the Cookie Dough: In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend the unsalted butter and granulated sugar until combined. While the mixer runs, add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Then add vanilla extract, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar, mixing well.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Incorporate the all-purpose flour into the wet mixture until a cohesive dough forms, ensuring no pockets of flour remain.
- Prepare Sugar Coating: In a small bowl, mix together granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice to create the spiced sugar coating for the cookies.
- Shape the Cookies: Scoop out large portions of dough (about 2 inches in diameter) and roll each into a ball. Roll the dough balls into the prepared sugar coating, then place on the lined cookie trays, spacing them well (4–6 per tray). Gently flatten each ball to half its original height and sprinkle with extra sugar coating for a crunchy topping.
- Bake the Cookies: Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 15 minutes, rotating trays halfway if baking two at once. Remove once baked and while still warm (not hot), use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out centers from each cookie carefully.
- Cool Cookies: Let the cookies cool completely on the trays after cutting to set their shape and texture.
- Prepare Caramel: In a medium pot with sufficient capacity, combine dark brown sugar, unsalted butter, sweetened condensed milk, and corn syrup. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until mixture starts boiling. Continue heating until caramel reaches 242°F (soft ball stage), then remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract immediately.
- Fill Cookies with Caramel: Quickly but carefully spoon the warm caramel into the heart-shaped centers of the cookies. Pour any remaining caramel onto a second lined tray for later use.
- Finish and Serve: Sprinkle flake salt over the caramel-filled cookies while still warm. Allow to cool completely before serving to let the caramel set properly.
Notes
- Be sure not to overbake the cookies to maintain their soft and chewy texture.
- Cutting the centers while cookies are warm helps achieve clean shapes without cracking.
- Use a candy thermometer for precise caramel temperature to ensure the correct consistency.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Flake salt adds a delightful contrast to the sweet caramel, so don’t skip this step.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 230 kcal
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg
