Brown Butter Salted Caramel Snickerdoodles - The Recipe Critic (2024)

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This recipe takes snickerdoodles to the next level! Made with brown butter and a salted caramel core, each bite is a sweet and nutty dream!

When it comes to dessert, you can never go wrong with a batch of homemade cookies! If you love snickerdoodles as much as I do, you’ll have to try these cream cheese snickerdoodles or snickerdoodle bars next!

Brown Butter Salted Caramel Snickerdoodles - The Recipe Critic (1)

Brown Butter Snickerdoodles With Salted Caramel Filling

These cookies are seriously amazing. Snickerdoodles have always been one of my favorite cookies, it brings back so many memories when I was little helping my mom make them in the kitchen for a Sunday treat. My favorite part was rolling the cookie balls in the cinnamon sugar. I really didn’t think it could get any better than traditional snickerdoodles, but I’m pretty sure this recipe for brown butter salted caramel snickerdoodles has changed my mind.

I mean, you really can’t go wrong with brown butter. And to make these snickerdoodles even better, they have a salted caramel core! The ooey-gooey center and nutty flavor from the brown butter makes these cookies some of the best that I’ve ever tried. I know that you guys will love these just as much as I do! Also, I will not be held responsible for any brown butter addictions that may develop. (But you should definitely try these brown butter blondies or zucchini bars with brown butter frosting next.)

Cookie Ingredients

These delectable cookies are a perfect combination of rich flavors and textures. The brown butter and salted caramel add a delightful twist to the classic snickerdoodle recipe. You’ll love them! Here is everything you’ll need to whip up a batch. (Measurements can be found below in the recipe card.)

  • All-Purpose Flour: The base of the brown butter snickerdoodle cookie dough.
  • Baking Soda: This helps the cookies rise and become nice and fluffy.
  • Cream of Tartar: Gives the cookies a tangy kick and that chewy texture!
  • Ground Cinnamon: The warm spice that adds flavor to the dough and the cinnamon-sugar coating.
  • Sea Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the overall taste. Look for the chunky kind for some extra texture.
  • Unsalted Butter: We’re gonna brown this bad boy to give the cookies a nutty, caramelized flavor. If you only have salted butter, just use less additional salt.
  • Dark Brown Sugar: Adds sweetness and a rich caramel undertone to the dough. Light brown sugar also works, but it will change the flavor of the snickerdoodles slightly.
  • Granulated Sugar: Sweetens things up and contributes to the texture. It’s also used for the cinnamon sugar mixture that the dough is rolled in!
  • Large Egg: Keeps things together and adds moisture.
  • Egg Yolk: Makes the cookies extra rich and tender.
  • Vanilla Extract: I recommend using pure vanilla extract or making your own blend of vanilla extract so your cookies have the best flavor.
  • Plain Greek Yogurt: Keeps the cookies moist and tender. If you don’t have Greek yogurt, sour cream works too.
  • Caramel Squares: These little nuggets of gooey goodness melt into pockets of pure caramel bliss.
  • Coarse Sea Salt: Sprinkle this on top of the finished brown butter salted caramel snickerdoodles!

How to Make Brown Butter Salted Caramel Snickerdoodles

Fire up the oven, because it’s time to make the best brown butter snickerdoodles of your life! These brown butter salted caramel snickerdoodles are so easy to make, and even easier to devour. Be sure to grab a few for yourself, because if your family is anything like mine, these cookies will be snatched up in seconds!

Preparing the Cookie Dough

  1. Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, cinnamon, and set aside.
  2. Brown the Butter: To brown the butter, heat a medium saucepan to medium high heat. Add the sliced butter, whisking frequently. You will notice the butter starting to become frothy on the top and brown specks will start to form along the bottom. You have to watch it closely because the turn happens quickly and you don’t want it to burn. You will start to smell a nutty aroma and once it turns to a brown color, remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature.
  3. Caramel Pieces: While the butter is cooling, cut the caramel squares into quarters.
  4. Sugar Mixture: In a stand mixer, combine the brown butter and brown sugar, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar. (The 1/4 cup sugar will be used for rolling in the cookies). Mix until blended and smooth.
  5. Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Beat in egg, yolk, vanilla and yogurt and mix until combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients until combined.
  6. Chill the Dough: Form the dough into a ball and cover with plastic. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Baking

  1. Preheat Oven, Prepare Cookies: Once you are ready to bake preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Measure about 2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Flatten the ball and place 1-2 caramel squares inside, wrap the cookie dough over the caramel and roll back into a ball. Make sure it is completely covered so that the caramel won’t stick to the pan.
  2. Roll in Cinnamon Sugar: Mix 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and roll each cookie in the mixture. Place cookies on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet 2 inches apart. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt. (I used course sea salt)
  3. Bake: Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges turn lightly brown. The centers will be soft. Allow to cool for 2-3 minutes, then transfer your brown butter snickerdoodles to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Brown Butter Salted Caramel Snickerdoodles - The Recipe Critic (2)

Tips for Making the Best Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

Check out these simple tips to make your brown butter salted caramel snickerdoodles taste even better. I’ve also included some fun variations for you to try!

  • Get Your Butter Nice and Toasty: Take your time when browning the butter, letting it turn a beautiful golden color and giving off a nutty smell. This gives your cookies an incredible caramelized flavor. Just watch out so you don’t accidentally burn the butter – that’s a flavor we want to avoid!
  • Don’t Overbake: I like to pull my cookies out of the oven while the centers are still a little soft. The cookies will continue to cook on the pan for a minute or two, and then you’ll end up with the perfect texture.
  • Mix Up the Caramel: Don’t feel restricted to plain caramel squares. Go wild and try different caramel fillings! Homemade caramel sauce, butterscotch chips, or even flavored caramel candies like salted caramel or espresso caramel. Just make sure to chop them up into small bits so they melt evenly.
  • Extra Mix-Ins: If you want a little extra oomph, throw in some mix-ins like chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, or almonds) or chocolate chips. These will give your brown butter snickerdoodles a satisfying crunch or bursts of melty goodness.
Brown Butter Salted Caramel Snickerdoodles - The Recipe Critic (3)

If You Have Leftovers:

Keep your brown butter salted caramel snickerdoodles in an airtight container at room temperature. They will stay good for about a week! For that just out of the oven effect, pop them in the microwave until warmed through before you enjoy them again.

Brown Butter Salted Caramel Snickerdoodles - The Recipe Critic (4)

More Brown Butter Dessert Recipes

If you’re a lover of brown butter like me, then these are a few recipes you need to try out! The brown butter adds an extra rich and nutty element to each dish, making them absolutely delicious.

Desserts

Easy Brown Butter Almond Cake

1 hr 20 mins

Desserts

Brown Butter Sugar Cookie Bars with Salted Caramel Buttercream

32 mins

Desserts

Maple Cookies with Brown Butter Frosting

22 mins

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Brown Butter Salted Caramel Snickerdoodles

By: Alyssa Rivers

This recipe takes snickerdoodles to the next level! Made with brown butter and a salted caramel core, each bite is a sweet and nutty dream!

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes minutes

Total Time: 38 minutes minutes

Servings: 24 Cookies

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a medium sized bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, cinnamon, and set aside.

  • To brown the butter, heat a medium saucepan to medium high heat. Add the sliced butter, whisking frequently. You will notice the butter starting to become frothy on the top and brown specks will start to form along the bottom. You have to watch it closely because the turn happens quickly and you don’t want it to burn. You will start to smell a nutty aroma and once it turns to a brown color, remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature.

  • While the butter is cooling, cut the caramel squares into 1/4's.

  • In a stand mixer, combine the brown butter and brown sugar, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar. (The 1/4 cup sugar will be used for rolling in the cookies). Mix until blended and smooth.

  • Beat in egg, yolk, vanilla and yogurt and mix until combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients until combined.

  • Form the dough into a ball and cover with plastic. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

  • Once you are ready to bake preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Measure about 2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Flatten the ball and place 1-2 caramel squares inside, wrap the cookie dough over the caramel and roll back into a ball. Make sure it is completely covered so that the caramel won’t stick to the pan.

  • Mix 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and roll each cookie in the mixture. Place on a cookies on a parchment lined cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt. (I used course sea salt)

  • Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges turn lightly brown. The centers will be soft. Allow to cool for 2-3 minutes, and transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

Originally posted July 12, 2013

Updated on June 26, 2023

Nutrition

Calories: 229kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 2gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 126mgPotassium: 96mgFiber: 1gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 261IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 32mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!

About Alyssa Rivers

Alyssa Rivers is the author of 'The Tried and True Cookbook', a professional food photographer and experienced recipe-developer. Having a passion for cooking, her tried and true recipes have been featured on Good Morning America, Today Food, Buzzfeed and more.

Read More About Me

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Brown Butter Salted Caramel Snickerdoodles - The Recipe Critic (2024)

FAQs

Why are my snickerdoodles spreading so much? ›

Excess Sugar and Fat

Measuring is key in baking. If your cookie contains excess sugar or fat, it will spread while baking.

Why do my snickerdoodles taste bitter? ›

Your snickerdoodles may taste bitter if you are sensitive to the taste of cream of tartar. This snickerdoodle cookie recipe without cream of tartar is an excellent option if you fall into that category.

Why didn't my snickerdoodles rise? ›

Snickerdoodles can come out flat if 1) the leaveners you used (for this recipe, it's both the baking soda and the cream of tartar) are on the old side and no longer work, and 2) if you baked them at a lower temperature.

Why did my Snickerdoodle cookies not flatten? ›

If you reduce the amount of butter or oil in a recipe, your cookies won't spread as much. If you add too much flour, your cookies won't spread as much. If your cookies have more brown sugar than white sugar, they won't spread as much. It's a careful balance.

How do you fix cookies that spread too much? ›

If this happens, put the dough into the refrigerator until it is well chilled, usually about 1 to 2 hours. Another possible fix is to add some additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is slightly stiffer and doesn't spread. 2. Butter or margarine is too soft.

Why do snickerdoodles taste weird? ›

What some taste as “bitterness” in snickerdoodles, others consider “tanginess”, and it comes from the metallic flavors of the cream of tartar and baking soda. If you're particularly sensitive to the tangy flavor, feel free to omit the cream of tartar.

Why do my snickerdoodle cookies get hard? ›

Snickerdoodles might turn out hard if they are overbaked or if the dough is too dry. Be sure to keep an eye on them as they bake – when the edges are set but the centers are still soft and puffy, they are done. Also, make sure you're not adding too much flour.

Are snickerdoodles supposed to be soft when they come out of the oven? ›

They puff in the oven and then settle back down while cooling into a soft, thick, supremely chewy cookie with a gorgeous crinkly top. They've received nothing but rave reviews!

How do you know when snickerdoodles are done baking? ›

How do you know when the cookies are baked? The snickerdoodle cookies will only take about 10 to 12 minutes to bake, so be sure to keep your eye on them! It's best to rotate the cookies after about 6 minutes so that the cook evenly. The cookies are done when the edges are just set and the centres are soft and cracked.

Why did my snickerdoodles come out cakey? ›

If your cookies come out flat on top, with a cake-like texture, you've added too many eggs.

Why are my snickerdoodles runny? ›

Kind of like how crumbly dough is usually because there's too much of the dry ingredients, runny cookie dough comes from having too much of the liquid ingredients.

What is the nickname for a snickerdoodle? ›

Snickerdoodles are often referred to as "sugar cookies". However, traditional sugar cookies are often rolled in white sugar whereas snickerdoodles are rolled in a mixture of white sugar and cinnamon. Cream of tartar is added for its signature texture as another main difference.

What can I substitute for cream of tartar in snickerdoodles? ›

You can either replace cream of tartar with baking powder at a 1:1.5 ratio (1 teaspoon cream of tartar : 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder), or you can replace cream of tartar with the combination of baking soda and either lemon juice or vinegar (as with this recipe).

Why do my snickerdoodles go flat? ›

If your cookies repeatedly turn out flat, no matter the recipe, chances are your oven is too hot. Here's what's happening. The butter melts super quickly in a too-hot oven before the other ingredients have firmed up into a cookie structure. Therefore, as the butter spreads so does the whole liquidy cookie.

How do you keep snickerdoodles from spreading? ›

Cookies spread because the fat in the cookie dough melts in the oven. If there isn't enough flour to hold that melted fat, the cookies will over-spread. Spoon and level that flour or, better yet, weigh your flour. If your cookies are still spreading, add an extra 2 Tablespoons of flour to the cookie dough.

Why would cookies spread too much? ›

If your ratios of flour, butter and sugar off, the cookie might spread too quickly. This can occur if you aren't precise with your measurements. If your recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, for example, and you add a slightly heaping cup instead of leveling off the cup precisely, you'll end up with too much.

Which of the following techniques can be used to reduce the spread of cookies? ›

  • Chilling Cookie Dough. One of the biggest tips I can't stress enough is chilling the cookie dough. ...
  • Prepare Your Baking Sheets. ...
  • Use Cooled Baking Sheets. ...
  • Quality Baking Sheets. ...
  • Tall Cookie Dough Balls. ...
  • Room Temperature Butter and Eggs. ...
  • Measuring Flour Properly. ...
  • Overmixing Cookie Dough.
Nov 25, 2023

How do you fix runny Snickerdoodle dough? ›

Soft – Dough that's “soft” or “runny” can be thickened by adding one or two tablespoons of flour to your mix. This will help keep your batch from “Spreading” and coming out of the oven looking like flat, not-so-cookie-like puddles.

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