Salted Caramel Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Cookies

Drop those store-bought cookies and make these INSANELY GOOD Salted Caramel Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Cookies! I tell ya, I’ve yet to taste a tastier cookie. With nut caramel-y nuttiness of brown butter, plenty of cinnamon, and creamy caramels, these are so crazy good, that you’ll never want any other cookies again!

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These Salted Caramel Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Cookies are knock your socks off kind of good! From the warm cinnamon to salty tang of the flake salt and creamy caramel-y goodness in the cookie, everything just works in these cookies.

Why have a traditional snickerdoodle cookie when you can have a Salted Caramel Brown Butter Snickerdoodle? I know, I know…these are a wee bit more work than a regular cookie, but I promise you, they’re so worth the effort!

There’s an extra step in this recipe, to make the brown butter, and then sure, you have to pop the caramel into the cookie before baking, but it’s not that much extra work and when you taste one of these divine cookies, you’ll be convinced there are none better!

Ingredients

• Butter – Salted butter, cut into chunks. Softened. Unsalted butter works if you increase the added salt to ¾ teaspoon.
• All-purpose flour – Measure correctly by spooning into the cup and leveling off. Packing flour makes the cookies dense and tough.
• Cream of tartar – The secret ingredient in snickerdoodle cookies. Don’t skip it—it gives snickerdoodles their signature tangy flavor and chewy texture.
• Baking soda – Check the expiration date or the cookies won’t rise properly.
• Cinnamon – Ground cinnamon. You’ll need this for the dough and for the cinnamon sugar coating.
• Salt – Regular cooking salt.
• Dark brown sugar – There’s extra molasses in dark brown sugar which gives these cookies a lovely flavor.
• Granulated sugar – You’ll need this for the dough and for the cinnamon sugar coating.
• Eggs – Large eggs. Extra-large works without adjustment.
• Vanilla extract – Imitation is fine.
• Caramels – I used Werther’s Originals, cut in half. See my notes below.
• Cinnamon sugar – Made with 1/4 cup white sugar and 3 teaspoons cinnamon.
• Flake salt – Like Maldon Sea Salt Flakes. Adds a finishing touch. Don’t use regular table salt—it won’t give the same texture or flavor.

What Kind Of Caramels Make The Best Caramel Snickerdoodles?

I used Werther’s Originals Caramels. They are soft and melt easily, but be sure to cut each caramel in half. They come prewrapped but resist the temptation to unwrap them too soon because if you do, and you put all the unwrapped cut caramels into a bowl, they’ll ooze into one giant lump of caramel. Ask me how I know this!

How To Make Salted Caramel Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Cookies

Scroll down for the full recipe card with exact measurements and printable instructions.

I tell you, these are the BEST snickerdoodles out there! They’re easy to make, but give yourself a bit of time for the dough to firm up in the fridge before rolling the cookies.

Start by making the brown butter. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring often with a whisk or silicone spatula. The butter will foam as it cooks. Once the foam begins to settle, check the bottom of the pan for golden brown flecks. The butter should smell rich and nutty. If needed, continue cooking briefly until the butter solids are deeply golden brown. Remove the pan from the heat and let the butter cool to room temperature.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt until evenly combined.

Add the cooled brown butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until smooth and creamy. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and mix just until incorporated.

Add the dry ingredients in 2 batches, mixing between additions until a soft dough forms.

Transfer the dough onto a large sheet of plastic wrap and shape it into a disc. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for about 1 hour so the dough firms up and becomes easier to work with.

Once chilled, use a cookie scoop to portion the dough into 2-tablespoon balls.

Press your thumb into the center of each dough ball to create a small indentation. Place a caramel into the center, then gently work the dough around the caramel so it’s fully enclosed inside the cookie. Roll each dough ball in cinnamon sugar until fully coated.

Arrange the cookies on parchment paper-lined baking sheets, leaving space between them. Bake about 8 cookies at a time for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the tops are cracked and the edges are lightly set.

As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, sprinkle them lightly with flaky salt.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for several minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Chef Jenn’s Tips

• Chilling the dough cuts down on how far the cookies will spread, and makes rolling them much easier. If your dough is too cold to scoop and roll, let it warm up on the counter for 15 minutes before working with it.
• These cookies do spread when baking, so don’t overload the baking sheet.
• Cover the caramel with cookie dough on all sides, and make sure there are no cracks in the dough balls or the caramel will ooze out.
• These cookies are MOLTEN hot when just out of the oven. That caramel can cause serious burns if you don’t let the cookies cool to room temperature before eating them.

Make It A Meal

Brown butter and salted caramel want a hot drink next to them. I serve these with my Bailey’s Hot Chocolate with Baileys Marshmallows when the weather turns, or a Lemon-Ginger Hot Toddy Mix if I want something with a little heat behind the sweet.

For a cookie plate, I put them next to my Chocolate Caramel Cookies and Salted Dark Chocolate Cookies. Three salt-and-caramel-leaning cookies that look different on the plate and taste like they belong together.

Storage

Keep the cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days, or freeze them. I vacuum seal cookies to keep them fresh longer, but you can just pop them into a freezer-safe plastic bag or container and thaw them as you need them.

Frequently Asked Questions