Soft and chewy Caramel Snickerdoodles are the famous cinnamon sugar cookies you know and love, but with a melty caramel center.
Try some other popular cookie recipes like Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies, or Oatmeal Cookies next!

Caramel Snickerdoodles
Since I added Rolos® to the center of my Oatmeal Caramel Cookies, I’ve been excited to try the same idea with other cookies. A caramel center makes a great cookie even better!
A few weeks ago, I baked this super popular Snickerdoodle Recipe for my boys and decided to add caramels. Now, they’ve told me I should only bake cookies with Rolos® from now on. They say these Caramel Snickerdoodles are their new favorite cookies!
Ingredients In Caramel Snickerdoodles
- Butter: Let the butter cool so it doesn’t make the dough greasy.
- Sugar: Use a combo of white and brown sugar.
- Egg and Egg Yolk: Make sure to fully whisk the eggs with the sugar.
- Vanilla Flavor: Use real vanilla for the best flavor.
- All-Purpose Flour: Measure the flour carefully to avoid dry cookies.
- Tartar Powder: Don’t skip this ingredient for the best cookie texture.
- Salt: Don’t leave out salt, even in sweet recipes—it helps the flavors pop.
- Baking Soda: Make sure your baking soda is fresh for the best rise.
- Cinnamon: Use more or less cinnamon based on what you like.
- Rolos: Make sure they’re totally covered in the dough.
How To Make Caramel Snickerdoodles
- Melt butter: Cooling the butter prevents greasy cookies.
- Mix dry ingredients: Stir well to combine all the dry ingredients evenly.
- Combine wet ingredients: Whisk until smooth for a fluffy dough.
- Combine: Don’t overmix to keep the cookies soft.
- Chill dough: Chilling helps the dough firm up and makes it easier to roll.
- Roll dough: Roll the dough balls tightly around the candy to prevent leaks.
- Bake: Slight underbaking keeps the cookies soft in the center.
Quick Tip
What is cream of tartar? According to Food & Wine it’s Potassium bitartrate, a byproduct of winemaking, derived from the potassium acid salt of tartaric acid. This powder is used in baking and as a cleaning agent.
Tips For Success
- Make sure the Rolo is completely wrapped in dough to stop it from leaking or burning.
- Use a Silpat® liner for easier baking and to help avoid caramel leaks.
- Shape the dough into tall, skinny balls for chewy centers and crispy edges.
More Delicious Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossoms big and thick!
- Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies soft and chewy!
- Thumbprint Cookies with a raspberry center
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies chewy and yummy
- Shortbread Cookies with a chocolate drizzle
Caramel Snickerdoodles
Equipment
- Sheet pan (15″ x 10″) lined
Ingredients
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2-3/4 cup flour see note 1
- 1-1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 22 unwrapped Rolos
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl and let it cool to room temperature to avoid greasy cookies.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, cream of tartar, salt, baking soda, and ground cinnamon.
- In a separate bowl, mix the cooled melted butter with both sugars. Whisk until blended. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, whisking until smooth.
- Combine dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until no flour streaks remain, avoiding overmixing. Cover the dough and chill for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Stir together the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Portion the dough into roughly 2-tablespoon pieces. Encase a Rolo in each, shape into tall balls, and roll in cinnamon-sugar. Chill for 15–20 minutes until firm.
- Place dough balls on a lined sheet pan, spacing about 6 apart with ample spacing between each. Bake for 9–12 minutes, aiming for slight underbaking. After baking, if cookies have uneven edges, press them inward with a metal spatula. Let them sit on the tray for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
They look absolutely mouth-watering. This is a nice idea to make a cookie. Thanks for sharing!
You are so welcome!! Can’t wait to hear what you think! Enjoy! ๐
My family would go crazy for this. Can’t wait to try this!
The instructions are very easy to follow. I made this for my kids and they absolutely loved the cookies! Thank you.
Oh my gosh, I’m drooling so hard! These are a must make!