These cookies are insane. I have never been a snickerdoodle cookie person, which is why I wanted to dress ’em up a bit with caramel + brown butter (um, drool). But I’ll admit, I didn’t have super high expectations since I’ve just never looooved snickerdoodles. But these? These I LOVE. They are soft + chewy + flavorful + cinnamon-sugary + caramel-y + perfect for the holidays + equally delicious on your average Tuesday….. need I go on? These brown butter caramel snickerdoodle cookies have a cinnamon sugar crispy outside with a soft + chewy inside with lots of flavor + depth from the brown butter + caramel.

One cookie— two ways

You have a couple options on how to add the caramel to these snickerdoodles. I couldn’t decide which I like more, so I decided to leave it up to you!

Option 1: Caramel-filled center
Cut each caramel in half, roll cookie dough into a ball, break in half, press the caramel into one half, roll the dough back together into a ball + dip in cinnamon sugar.

Option 2: Smaller caramel pieces throughout the cookie
Cut each caramel into smaller pieces (I did ninths) + press 3-4 small pieces into each cookie after it’s been rolled into a ball + dipped in cinnamon sugar.

Both are seriously delicious, and it just comes down to personal preference.

The dough

After adding the flour to your dough, it will look pretty crumbly (see photo below). After thoroughly combining all of your ingredients with an electric mixer, I recommend using your hands to work the dough into one ball before chilling for about 30 minutes.

I haven’t tried the recipe without chilling the dough, so I’m not sure if you would have the same results if you skip that step. However, I have a feeling they would still turn out fine. If you try it, you’ll have to let me know 🙂

Brown Butter Caramel Snickerdoodle Cookies

Servings: 24 cookies
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 65 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 12 caramels (I used Kraft baking caramels)

Cinnamon Sugar Topping:

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. How to make the brown butter: Place butter in a large pan over medium heat, whisking constantly. After a few minutes the butter will start to foam. As soon as you see the color turning brown (after about 5-8 minutes), remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl immediately. Set aside and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
3. Once cooled, add brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract to the bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, beat ingredients together until well combined. Add the egg and mix together until combined. (At this point, it should kind of look like caramel.)
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, using the electric mixer until a dough forms. The dough will be pretty crumbly (see above photo), so after mixing for several minutes, use your hands to work the dough into a large ball.
5. Chill the dough for about 30 minutes and mix together cinnamon sugar topping + set aside. After the dough has chilled, you have two options for how to incorporate the caramel into your cookies.

Option 1: Caramel-filled center

Scoop two tablespoons of dough, roll into a ball, break in half, place half a caramel inside, and roll back together. Make sure the caramel is completely covered + not peeking out. Roll each dough ball in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Option 2: Smaller caramel pieces throughout the dough

Scoop two tablespoons of dough, roll into a ball, roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar mixture, and gently press 3-4 small pieces of caramel into each dough ball.

6. Place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are a light golden brown. The centers will still be soft, but they will continue to cook on the baking sheet. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Enjoy!

If you try these brown butter caramel snickerdoodle cookies, tag me on Instagram! I would love to see how yours turn out 🙂 And if you enjoyed this recipe, you may also love my Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Muffins or Butterscotch Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookies!