Brown Butter Caramel Snickerdoodles

By: Krolls Korner

17 Comments

Updated: 08/11/2024

I am fully in my brown butter era, and these brown butter caramel snickerdoodles are EVERYTHING.

Imagine the cinnamon-sugar flavors of a classic Snickerdoodle cookie but elevated with the nutty depth of brown butter and gooey caramel tucked away in the center.

I’m unsure what I love most: the nostalgic snickerdoodle flavors, the sweet, chewy caramel centers, or the caramelized notes from the brown butter. But one thing is certain: the combination of this trio of flavors is heaven!

Why this recipe works

• The Magic of Brown Butter: Brown butter adds a rich, nutty flavor that elevates the standard snickerdoodle into something truly spectacular. It’s a simple step that makes a huge difference. The brown butter will need to be solidified, which takes ~1 hour in the fridge.
• Gooey Caramel Center: Each cookie has a hidden caramel filling that melts in your mouth, creating a delicious contrast to the crisp edges of the cookie.
• No Chill OR Chill: I’ve tested this recipe both ways. You can whip up a batch of cookie dough and chill in the fridge for up to 3 days before baking. Or you can make the cookies all at the same time, with zero chill time required.
• A Fun Twist: This cookie differs from other cookies thanks to the complex flavors: the brown butter, chewy caramel, flaky sea salt, and cinnamon-sugar goodness is the perfect marriage.

Ingredient Notes

Scroll down to the recipe card for the complete list of ingredients and measurements.

• Butter: you’ll need unsalted butter to make the brown butter. Be sure to check out this post on all of my success tips to brown butter: how to brown butter. Note: you will need to allow the brown butter to solidify before creaming with the sugars, and this can take ~1-2 hours in the fridge.
• Caramel: I tested these brown butter caramel snickerdoodles with both Werther’s Soft Caramels and Kraft Caramels. Both worked well, but I will say that Werther’s caramel almost melts into the cookie, stays soft, and gives you that nice caramel pull when you break the cookie apart. The Kraft caramels are a bit firmer from the start, but they still give the cookie a great chew when you bite into the center. Either caramel is a win/win, in my opinion.
• All-Purpose Flour: This is the base of the cookie dough. Be sure to spoon and level the flour so you don’t end up with more than you need.
• Baking Soda & Baking Powder: Helps the cookies rise.
• Cream of Tartar: Cream of tartar provides the classic snickerdoodle tang and assists with leavening. When combined with baking soda, cream of tartar reacts to produce carbon dioxide gas. This reaction helps the cookies to rise and spread properly, giving them their characteristic texture and appearance.
• Brown Sugar & Granulated Sugar: The brown sugar adds moisture and a deeper flavor and a little granulated sugar helps with the slightly crisp edges.
• Egg + egg yolk: Binds the ingredients together.
• Milk: Just a touch of milk in the cookie dough batter helps keep these cookies moist and hydrates the starches in the flour.
• For Rolling the Dough: Granulated Sugar: To coat the cookie dough balls. Ground Cinnamon: Mixed with the sugar for rolling; imparts the classic snickerdoodle flavor on the outside.

Step by Step Directions

Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe instructions.

Brown the butter

You’ll brown the butter, and then allow it to solidify.

Cream

Cream together the solidified brown butter and sugars.

Add eggs, milk, and vanilla

Mix until combined.

Add the dry ingredients

And then scoop!

Fill with caramel

Place a piece of caramel in the center of a flattened dough ball, wrap the dough around the caramel completely.

Roll & bake

Roll each ball in cinnamon & sugar, then bake!

Enjoy!

The easiest step of them all 🙂

Success Tips

• Spoon and level flour properly: Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and be sure it’s leveled. Do not scoop the flour out of the container/bag with your measuring cup because you could end up with 50% more than you need. Spoon and level by using a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup and use the back of a knife to level off the top of it.
• Caramel: make sure you wrap the cookie dough around the caramel really well so it doesn’t ooze out the bottom and stick to the baking sheet. Also, if you don’t want the caramel, feel free to omit it.
• Do not over bake. These cookies look very soft and slightly under baked when you take them out of the oven. But they will settle and create a fudgy soft center in the middle as they cool.
• Do not crowd the baking sheet. I like to bake 6 cookies at a time. Overcrowding the cookies can lead to the cookies baking into each other and creating wonky shaped cookies. We want the heat to circulate evenly around the cookies so if you find your cookies are spreading too much, bake less cookies on your sheet at one time. 

Storage

• Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. 
• Make Ahead: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 2–3 days. Allow to come to room temperature, then place the caramel in the center, roll in the cinnamon & sugar, and continue to bake as directed. 

More cookies you’ll love

Apple Butter Snickerdoodles

Maple Cookies with Maple Glaze

Classic Snickerdoodle Cookie

Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Cookie Skillet (or Cookies!)

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

4.70 from 10 reviews

Brown Butter Caramel Snickerdoodles

Prep: 1 hour hr

Cook: 7 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr 7 minutes mins

Servings: 24 cookies

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These Brown Butter Caramel Snickerdoodle Cookies are comforting, warm, indulgent, and bursting with flavor in each bite. They have the signature snickerdoodle cinnamon-sugar coating, a gooey, soft, chewy caramel filled center, and of course the rich, nutty flavors from the brown butter. They're soft, chewy, and topping with flaky sea salt is chef's kiss!

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Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• ▢ 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 large egg, room temperature
• ▢ 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
• ▢ 1 Tbsp. whole milk, room temperature
• ▢ 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract (yes, a whole tablespoon!)
• ▢ 2 2/3 cups all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• ▢ 1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
• ▢ 1 tsp. kosher salt
• ▢ 1 tsp. baking soda
• ▢ 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• ▢ Werther's Soft Caramels or Kraft Caramels
• ▢ flaky sea salt

For rolling

• ▢ 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Last step! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

Instructions 

• Brown the butter: For a detailed tutorial, see this post on how to brown butter. Once browned, stir in one ice cube to cool down a little more quickly. Then place in fridge to solidify. This will take ~1-2 hours. I know, ugh. But, trust me on this one! The liquid brown butter for these cookies makes the cookies too thin and flat, lacking the yummy chew. So the solidified brown butter is key.
  1 cup unsalted butter
  
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
• Add the solidified brown butter and both sugars to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat for 3-4 minutes until creamy.
  1 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed, 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  
• Meanwhile, whisk together the dry ingredients. Set aside.
  2 2/3 cups all purpose flour, spooned and leveled, 1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar, 1 tsp. kosher salt, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  
• Add in the egg, egg yolk, milk, and vanilla extract. Beat again until combined.
  1 large egg, room temperature, 1 large egg yolk, room temperature, 1 Tbsp. whole milk, room temperature, 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract (yes, a whole tablespoon!)
  
• Gradually add in the dry ingredients on a medium-low speed. Mix just until combined.
  
• Unwrap the caramels and slice them in half. You won't need to use the whole bag of caramels.
  Werther's Soft Caramels or Kraft Caramels
• Scoop the cookies using a 2 Tbsp. scoop, or you can make a little smaller if preferred.
  
• Flatten the cookie dough, place a piece of the caramel in the center, and wrap the cookie dough around the caramel. Ensure the cookie dough wraps around it completely and is sealed so the caramel doesn't ooze out.
  
• Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a small dish and roll each cookie dough ball in the cinnamon and sugar. Repeat this with remaining cookie dough.
  3 Tbsp. granulated sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  
• Place cookies on the prepared baking sheets, I like to bake 6 cookies at a time. Bake for 7-9 minutes, being careful not to overbake. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Sprinkle any leftover cinnamon/sugar on top, and flaky sea salt.
  flaky sea salt
  
• LAST STEP: ENJOY!
  

Video

Notes

• • Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

• • Make Ahead: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 2–3 days. Allow to come to room temperature, then place the caramel in the center, roll in the cinnamon & sugar, and continue to bake as directed.
  • I used my Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk cookie recipe and Apple Butter Snickerdoodles as recipe inspiration to create this cookie. Additional inspo from: this recipe.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 184kcal (9%), Carbohydrates: 26g (9%), Protein: 2g (4%), Fat: 8g (12%), Saturated Fat: 5g (31%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 36mg (12%), Sodium: 155mg (7%), Potassium: 89mg (3%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 15g (17%), Vitamin A: 260IU (5%), Vitamin C: 0.01mg, Calcium: 26mg (3%), Iron: 1mg (6%)

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is automatically calculated. It should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Kroll’s Korner can’t make any guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

© Author: Tawnie Graham of Kroll’s Korner