Caramel cookies – even the name sounds tempting, doesn’t it? These Salted Caramel Cookies aren’t just any cookies! With my recipe, you can quickly whip up classic American-style caramel cookies that taste far better than anything store-bought.
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Why You'll Love These Salted Caramel Cookies
These caramel cookies have a delightful, subtle caramel flavor with a touch of salt. They’re exactly how cookies should be: slightly crispy on the outside and wonderfully chewy, soft, and gooey on the inside – absolutely delicious. The recipe is quick and easy to follow, though you’ll need to factor in a short chilling time for the dough (30–60 minutes). With one simple trick, the caramel cookies turn out thick, round, and visually stunning.
These cookies are also perfect for making ahead of time, as they stay fresh for 3 days when stored properly (and often longer!). If you’re a caramel lover like me, whether it’s caramel shortbread, caramel ice cream, or caramel cheesecake, these cookies are an absolute must-try. Just take a look at the pictures, get inspired, and then dive right into baking!
Key Ingredients for Perfect Caramel Cookies
In addition to basic ingredients like all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt, the following components ensure your caramel cookies turn out just right:
Sugar: Both white sugar (for sweetness and volume) and brown sugar (for a richer, caramel-like flavor) are used. These cookies are naturally quite sweet, but they use significantly less sugar than many similar recipes that often call for double the amount.
Butter and Egg: These ingredients make the cookies moist, rich, and soft while binding the dough. For best results, bring both to room temperature a few hours before baking.
Caramel: Caramel appears in two forms in these cookies: as caramel cream (which partially replaces the butter) and caramel chunks. I recommend using a "salted caramel cream" with a Nutella-like texture – creamy and firm. You can also use store-bought caramel cookie butter, such as Lotus Biscoff spread. For the chunks, mini caramel cubes, caramel drops, or chopped soft caramels (available at most supermarkets) work perfectly.
How to Make Caramel Cookies in 3 Simple Steps
Prepare the dough: Start by creaming the butter, sugars, and egg together, just as you would for a classic cookie dough. Add the caramel cream and mix briefly. Then incorporate the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt) and fold in the caramel chunks. For an extra swirl effect, gently fold in a bit of caramel cream at the end using a fork.
Chill the dough: Shape the dough into balls by hand and chill them in the refrigerator to prevent spreading in the oven. If your baking sheet fits in the fridge, you can chill the balls directly on the lined sheet. Otherwise, arrange the dough balls on parchment paper placed on cutting boards or plates, and transfer them to the baking sheet after chilling.
Bake the cookies: Take the dough balls out of the fridge shortly before preheating the oven, as they shouldn’t be ice-cold when baked. Baking time varies depending on the size of the cookies and your oven, so keep a close eye on them. The cookies should still appear light in color, with only slightly golden edges. They’ll continue to bake as they cool.
Tips for Perfect Caramel Cookies
Chewy Texture: To achieve the perfect chewy texture, avoid overbaking! The cookies should look slightly underdone when you remove them from the oven, as they firm up as they cool. If you prefer crispier cookies, leave them in the oven a little longer.
Shaping: If the cookies spread unevenly, you can reshape them immediately after baking. Use a round cookie cutter or a glass (around 3 inches in diameter) and swirl it gently around the edges of each cookie to create a perfect circle.
How to Store Caramel Cookies
Store the cookies in an airtight container to keep them fresh for 3–5 days. They’ll maintain their chewy, soft texture this way. If you’d like to save some for later, the cookies freeze beautifully and can be thawed at room temperature. However, they’re so delicious that it’s unlikely any will be left to store! 😉
This also applies to other sweet treats like my chocolate chip cookies, my walnut cookies or even my equally irresistible nutella cookies. Give them a try!
Recipe Card
Caramel Cookies
Ingredients
- 300 grams (2 ½ cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda, approx. 6g
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) salt, leveled
- 150 grams (¾ cup) butter, soft
- 100 grams (½ cup) white sugar
- 50 grams (4 tablespoons) brown sugar
- 60 grams (⅓ cup) caramel cream, see notes
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste, optional
- 80 grams (¾ cups) caramel chunks, see notes
Instructions
- Prepare the dry ingredients: Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Cream the wet ingredients: Beat the soft butter with the white and brown sugar until creamy. Add 40 grams of the caramel cream and mix well. Then, add the egg and vanilla paste (if using) and beat until smooth.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients: Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients and knead quickly into a relatively smooth dough. Swirl the remaining 20 grams of caramel cream lightly into the dough using a fork. Fold in about 40 grams of the caramel chunks.
- Shape and chill the dough: Form 18–22 evenly sized balls from the dough. Press the remaining caramel chunks into the tops of the dough balls as decoration. Place the balls on a sheet of parchment paper and chill in the refrigerator for 30–60 minutes.
- Preheat and bake: Remove the dough balls from the fridge. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) (top and bottom heat). Arrange the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving space between them. Use the same parchment paper if already prepared.
- Bake: Depending on the size of the cookies, bake them for 10–13 minutes. The cookies should still appear soft and slightly underbaked when removed from the oven to ensure they remain chewy and moist after cooling. Let them cool on the baking sheet before carefully transferring them.
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