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    Home » Recipes » Cookies » Other Cookies » Salted Caramel Snickerdoodles

    Salted Caramel Snickerdoodles

    Published: Dec 10, 2018 · Modified: Dec 10, 2018 by · This post may contain affiliate links · 4 Comments

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    Salted caramel snickerdoodles - hard caramel is ground up and mixed into the cookie dough, then chunks of caramel are folded through to form chewy pockets once the cookie has baked. The perfect crowd pleasing christmas cookie.


    Salted caramel snickerdoodles - hard caramel is ground up and mixed into the cookie dough, then chunks of caramel are folded through to form chewy pockets once the cookie has baked. The perfect crowd pleasing christmas cookie.


    Salted caramel snickerdoodles - hard caramel is ground up and mixed into the cookie dough, then chunks of caramel are folded through to form chewy pockets once the cookie has baked. The perfect crowd pleasing christmas cookie.


    Salted caramel snickerdoodles - hard caramel is ground up and mixed into the cookie dough, then chunks of caramel are folded through to form chewy pockets once the cookie has baked. The perfect crowd pleasing christmas cookie.

    Just popping in quickly to share this recipe with you - because I think that it should be right at the very very top of your holiday baking list. This is the cookie that people are going to ask you for the recipe for - the one that is going to make you friends at the holiday party. I know that these are big calls to make, but trust me on this, because these salted caramel snickerdoodles are all kinds of epic.

    I developed this recipe for the holiday cookie issue of Bake from Scratch magazine - it was part of the cookie box on the cover, and it is probably the most made recipe of the six that I contributed. The cookie was inspired by a bakery in Wellington, the town where I went to university. They do a salted caramel cookie that is giant, thin, and has chunks of chewy caramel through it. I get one every single time I go home.

    I tried something new when I made these - I wanted to really get as much caramel flavour into them as possible, so I made a hard caramel (which is super fun, it comes out like a window pane), then divided it in two once it was set. Half the caramel gets ground up and creamed in with the butter and sugar, and half gets bashed up into chunks, which are then folded through the dough, so that when baked, form these melty pockets of caramel which add to the perfect chew of the snickerdoodle. The whole thing is then rolled in a cinnamon sugar, then, once baked, loaded up with flaky sea salt. There you have, in my opinion, the perfect holiday cookie. Pretty simple to make, but a little bit fancy. The best. The recipe also makes loads (I kept them on the small side), so they are perfect for stocking up for the holiday season!

    A few wee tips:

    • The caramel, once ground, will pull moisture out of the environment very quickly and start to clump, so use the ground caramel fresh out of the food processor.

    • I like to use a round cookie cutter, slightly larger than the cookie, to place over the cookie and carefully nudge it into a perfectly round shape just after it comes out of the oven.

    • Pro tip Have everything ready to go for the caramel - there are a few seconds between a toasty caramel and a burnt sugar, so you want to be able to pour out the caramel as soon as it is ready.

    • If you do not want to bake all of these cookies at once, the dough, once rolled in the cinnamon sugar, can be stored in a ziploc bag in the freezer. Freeze until solid on a baking sheet before transferring to a bag.

     


     

    Salted Caramel Snickerdoodles

    - Makes about 46 -

    Salted Caramel
    400g granulated sugar
    1 tsp kosher salt

    Snickerdoodles
    225g unsalted butter, at room temperature
    150g ground caramel (see salted caramel recipe)
    100g granulated sugar
    50g dark brown sugar
    1 tsp vanilla extract
    1 large egg
    350g all-purpose flour
    ½ tsp baking soda
    ½ tsp kosher salt
    200g caramel chunks (from salted caramel recipe)
    50g granulated sugar (for rolling)
    ½ tsp cinnamon  
    Flaky Sea Salt to finish

     

    - PROCESS -

    SALTED CARAMEL

    Line a half baking sheet with a silpat mat, and have nearby.

    Place the sugar in a medium saucepan, and place over medium heat. Heat the sugar, stirring occasionally with a whisk, until all of the sugar has melted (the sugar will clump as you heat, but continue to stir - it will soon smooth out). Continue to cook the caramel until it is amber in colour and just beginning to smoke slightly. Immediately pour onto the prepared lined baking sheet, and sprinkle with the salt. Allow to cool completely. Break into large chunks, and weigh out 200g of the caramel. Place into a ziploc bag and hit with a rolling pin until it forms small chunks. Set aside. Place the remainder of the caramel into the work bowl of a food processor, and pulse until finely ground. Measure out 150g and set aside to use in the cookie mixture.

     

    SNICKERDOODLES

    Preheat the oven to 350˚f (180˚c). Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, ground caramel, granulated sugar and brown sugar on high speed for 4-5 minutes. Lower the speed of the mixer, add the egg and vanilla, and mix until combined. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt, and add to the mixture. Mix on low until just combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the 200g caramel chunks by hand, ensuring they are evenly distributed.

    Using a 1 Tbsp (#60) cookie scoop, scoop out balls of dough and place on a prepared baking sheet. Roll each into a ball, roll evenly in the cinnamon sugar mixture, and space evenly on a baking sheet, leaving room to spread (Note - you will have to bake these in several batches, but I prefer to roll them all at once).

    Before baking, place the baking sheet in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to allow the dough to firm slightly, the transfer to the oven. Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes, until they are golden brown and have puffed up. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack.

    Store cookies in an airtight container.

    Print this Recipe


    Salted caramel snickerdoodles - hard caramel is ground up and mixed into the cookie dough, then chunks of caramel are folded through to form chewy pockets once the cookie has baked. The perfect crowd pleasing christmas cookie.
    Previous Post: « The Ultimate Vanilla Bean Christmas Treat Box
    Next Post: Giant Skillet Cinnamon Roll with Cream Cheese Icing »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Shane

      December 22, 2020 at 11:09 pm

      These turned out great!! 5/5 Stars!! I tested a batch in preparation for a holiday cookie exchange and my taste testers lost their minds. Thank you for the recipe!

      Reply
      • Erin

        December 23, 2020 at 9:26 am

        Yayyyy so glad you love them!

        Reply
    2. E

      December 23, 2020 at 7:37 pm

      These are my family & friends favorite cookies - 5 stars! They’re really fun to make and are SO GOOD.

      Reply
      • Erin

        December 23, 2020 at 8:12 pm

        Ah yayyyyy so glad you love them!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Erin

    I am originally from New Zealand but moved to Brooklyn, New York, six years ago. I live in a little wee apartment with my husband Rich, far too many house plants, and often a foster kitten or five... more

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    Here’s a fun fact for you: in New Zealand, TV a Here’s a fun fact for you: in New Zealand, TV a stations and radio stations don’t run ads on some public holidays. So TV on Easter was prime time to record all your fave movies on video because you didn’t have to fast forward through the ads when you were re watching them back. The sound of music and the parent trap both had “Good Friday, great movie” on them and were so good to watch because no frantic fast forwarding needed. Anyway that’s just a random thought for you. We also never really had an Easter dinner or anything growing up but it seems like it’s more popular here! I’d like to let you know that if you need a super squishy garlic butter dinner roll, there’s one on my website. Ok that’s all happy Saturday 💕

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    Easter is sneaking up on us.... I gave my classic Easter is sneaking up on us.... I gave my classic hot cross bun recipe a wee bit of a refresh just in case you need a few options. This one is the one to go for if you’re making your dough by hand (the soft ones I posted recently need the mixer for sure), or you need an egg free dough (notes in the recipe for an egg free cross too). I love both but the pastry cream cross on these ones is particularly good. You can swipe to see how that gets there, or check out the recipe in my profile 💕 pop any questions you have on the blog post for me - there’s alllll sorts of notes there for you too to help you. As always I love when you leave me feedback / ratings so much. Appreciate you all 😘

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