These Salted Caramel Cookies, perfect for any occasion, feature a soft graham cracker base, rich cream cheese frosting, and are finished with a drizzle of salted or plain caramel sauce.
Why We Love These Salted Caramel Cookies
- Tasty Mix: Combines salted caramel cheesecake elements into a cookie.
- Crowd Pleaser: Guaranteed to be a hit at any event.
- Simple to Make: Easy steps but they look and taste special.
- Extra Caramel Sauce: The homemade sauce is perfect for the cookies and other treats.
- Creamy Frosting: The frosting is smooth and just sweet enough.
Ingredients
Cookies:
- Butter, White & Brown Sugars: Create a rich, sweet base.
- Egg & Yolk, Vanilla Extract: Bind ingredients and add flavor.
- Flour, Baking Soda, Cornstarch, Salt: Provide structure, softness, and a slight rise.
- Graham Cracker Crumbs: Add a unique texture and taste to the salted caramel cookies.
Frosting:
- Cream Cheese, Mascarpone, Butter: Form a creamy, rich base.
- Vanilla Extract, Salt, Powdered Sugar: Enhance flavor and sweetness.
- Butter, Brown Sugar, Corn Syrup, Condensed Milk: Create the caramel sauce.
- Vanilla Extract, Sea Salt: Add depth and balance to the caramel’s sweetness.
How To Make Salted Caramel Cookies
- Dough: Mix melted butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla. Combine with dry ingredients. Chill dough balls for 1-4 hours.
- Bake: At 325°F (162°C) for 10-14 minutes.
- Frost: Blend cream cheese, mascarpone, butter, and powdered sugar. Apply to cooled cookies.
- Caramel Sauce: Cook butter, sugars, and condensed milk. Add vanilla and salt. Drizzle over frosted cookies. Optional: Top with caramel pieces and salt flakes.
Quick Tip
For a decorative touch, top each cookie with a half of Werther’s Soft Caramel. These affordable, flavorful caramels blend well with the frosting.
Salted Caramel Cookies Tips
- Save Egg White: Reserve for other dishes like egg skillet or this egg wrap.
- Cool Melted Butter: Let it reach room temperature to prevent greasy cookies.
- Chill Dough Properly: Essential for the right texture; avoid over-chilling to prevent dryness.
- Measure Flour Carefully: Spoon and level for accurate measurement, ensuring the best cookie texture.
Storage
Storage Tips
- Store unfrosted salted caramel cookies at room temperature.
- Keep frosting and caramel sauce in separate airtight containers in the fridge.
- Assemble with frosting and caramel just before serving.
- Warm caramel sauce slightly before drizzling if needed.
- Freeze uncooked dough balls in a freezer bag.
More Cookie Recipes
- Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Cornmeal Cookies
- Avalanche Cookies
- Soft Pumpkin Cookies
- DoubleTree® Cookies
Salted Caramel Cookies
These Salted Caramel Cookies make the ultimate show-stopping, soft-yet-sweet, bakery-style cookie! These cookies start with a graham cracker cookie base, are loaded up with cream cheese frosting, and drizzled with salted caramel sauce (or plain caramel sauce if you'd prefer!).
Ingredients
Cookies
- 12 tablespoons (3/4 cup) unsalted butter melted
- 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar lightly packed
- 1 large egg yolk (discard or save the whites for another recipe)
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 3/4 cups white all-purpose flour measured correctly (See Note 2)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (lightly packed, about 9 full sheets)
Mascarpone Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounces full fat cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese (OR use 4 more ounces cream cheese), softened
- 8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) unsalted butter softened
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 cup powdered sugar
Caramel
- 8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar lightly packed
- 1 cup light corn syrup (like Karo)
- 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (regular, not fat-free)
- 1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt add to taste preference
- Optional: Werther's soft caramels and sea salt flakes for topping
Instructions
COOKIES
- BUTTER AND SUGARS: Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave. Set aside and let cool to room temperature, about 5 minutes. (If the butter is hot when it is added to the sugars, it will melt the sugars and cause greasy cookies.) Once the butter has cooled, pour it into a large bowl. Add in the brown and white sugar. Stir well until completely incorporated and smooth.
- EGGS AND VANILLA: Add in 1 full egg and 1 egg yolk. (Discard the white or save for another recipe). Add in the vanilla and stir until smooth.
- DRY INGREDIENTS: In another bowl, toss together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch. Add whole graham crackers to a blender or food processor and crush until you have 1 cup of very fine crumbs (gently pack in the measuring cup). Add the graham cracker crumbs to the dry ingredients. Stir everything to combine.
- COMBINE: Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix until just combined avoiding over-mixing.
- ROLL COOKIE DOUGH BALLS: Using a tablespoon, measure 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie (45g if you have a food scale per cookie). Roll the cookie dough balls large and tall (rather than round). Place on a parchment paper-lined plate, cover tightly and chill for 1 hour and up to 4 hours.
- BAKE: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (162 degrees C) and line a pan with parchment paper or a silicone liner. Space 6 cookies per cookie sheet (because they spread a lot). Bake for 10-14 minutes or until slightly browned at the edges. Remove from the oven and immediately use the back of a spoon to press the edges of each cookie into the center. Work quickly-- the cookies firm up quickly. This will give each cookie a great crispy edge. Let stand on the tray for 4 more minutes then use a spatula to remove the cookie from the sheet pan to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before frosting.
FROSTING
- FROSTING: Meanwhile, make the frosting. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or a large bowl and a hand mixer), beat the softened (not melted) cream cheese, softened mascarpone cheese, and softened butter until creamy for about 2 minutes at medium-high speed. Add the salt and vanilla; beat until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar, gradually, beating in between additions, until the frosting is soft and creamy. Avoid over-beating the mixture or you'll get whipped frosting. (If the frosting does happen to be too wet, add a bit more powdered sugar and if it is too dry, add a touch of milk or cream.)
- FROST COOKIES: Generously frost completely cooled cookies with a table knife. Depending on how generously you frost the cookies (we love frosting, so use quite a bit!) you'll have some leftover. (See Note 1)
CARAMEL SAUCE
- COMBINE: Combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and sweetened condensed milk in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Stir constantly until the butter is melted and ingredients are completely combined.
- BOIL: Bring the mixture to a boil and boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Immediately remove from heat.
- FLAVOR ADDITIONS: Let the mixture cool for about 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, and then add in the vanilla extract and salt to taste. Add salt gradually. (Not all salts will salt this sauce the same. Add more for a salted caramel sauce and less to just season the sauce.)
- THICKEN AND FROST: Let the sauce stand to thicken for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, and then transfer to a plastic bag. Seal without air and cut off the tip with scissors. Pipe a generous drizzle of caramel over the frosted cookies. If desired, top each cookie with an unwrapped and halved soft caramel and a small sprinkle of sea salt flakes.
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: This recipe makes more frosting and caramel sauce than you'll need for the cookies. Both of these recipes work better with this quantity; too small a batch and it won't combine well. Use leftover frosting to top pancakes or waffles for a fun dessert. Use leftover caramel sauce as a dip for apples or other fruit, as an ice cream topping, or to drizzle over a sweet breakfast like pancakes or waffles.
Note 2: If you press a measuring cup into a bag of flour, you will pack in way too much flour; use a spoon to scoop it into a measuring cup and then level the top with the back of a table knife.
Nutrition
Serving: 20g | Calories: 590kcal | Carbohydrates: 96g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 327mg | Potassium: 92mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 73g | Vitamin A: 628IU | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These cookies are beyond decadent and delicious! It literally doesn’t get better than this! They are worth every ounce of effort! We bake these at least 3 times a month!
Thank you so much Jaqulyn! 🙂