Salted Caramel Sandwich Cookies

stack of four salted caramel cookie sandwiches on parchment paper.

5 from 1 vote

If you don't think a cookie can change your life, think again! Years ago at a bakery, I had a salted caramel cookie, sandwiched together with the most amazing Salted Caramel, and have been obsessed ever since. I finally got the recipe right! These browned butter cookies are tender and chewy, perfectly crisp just on the edge, and absolutely flat, sandwiched with the most incredible, velvety, salty-sweet caramel! They are super easy to make; no mixer required!

Prep Time20

Cook Time12

Chill time1

Total Time1 32

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 266kcal

Author: The Food Charlatan

Ingredients

14 tablespoons salted butter
1 and 3/4 cup dark brown sugar packed
2 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 cups all purpose flour spooned and leveled
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 1/2 cups homemade Salted Caramel Sauce

Instructions

Make the caramel. The salted caramel needs time to cool after you make it, so start with that. I've got all the details on my Salted Caramel Sauce post. Do not add the optional 3 tablespoons of cream. Let the caramel cool to room temperature.
Brown the butter. In a medium pot, add 14 tablespoons butter (This is 2 sticks of butter, minus 2 tablespoons). Set the pot over medium heat and let the butter melt. Keep the heat on medium and don’t walk away. Stir occasionally. Soon the butter will bubble and form a thick white foam on top. After that, the foam will recede a little bit and you will start to see little brown “bits” forming on the bottom of the pan. Stir them up and take a whiff. If you see brown specks and your butter has taken on a nutty aroma, your butter is browned. Take it off the heat right away. This process takes about 5 minutes, and it goes from browned to burned really quick, so pay attention!
Add the wet ingredients. Off heat, add 1 and 3/4 cup packed brown sugar, 2 tablespoons molasses, and 1 tablespoon vanilla. Whisk well. The mixture will seem overly butter-y and slightly greasy. Don't stress.
Let the mixture cool for a few minutes. You can transfer it to a mixing bowl if you like, this will help it cool down faster, since your metal pot conducts heat.
Once the butter mixture is cool enough for you to touch it with a finger and not burn yourself, add in 1 egg and 1 egg yolk. Whisk very thoroughly.
Add the dry ingredients. Add 2 cups all purpose flour, spooned and leveled, but don't mix yet. On top of the flour, add 1 teaspoon kosher salt (use half the salt if you are using table salt) and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Mix the soda and salt into the flour using your teaspoon, making sure there are no lumps.
Use a rubber spatula to mix the flour into the butter, until there are no more white streaks. Once all the flour is incorporated, stop mixing. Over mixing cookie dough makes for a tough cookie. Give this magic dough a taste. Try not to eat it all.
Chill the dough for at least an hour or so, until it is no longer warm and is quite firm. Once chilled, let the dough rest out of the fridge for a few minutes so that it is easier to work with.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats.
Use a cookie scoop to shape the cookie dough into 1 and 1/2 inch balls. See photos to get an idea of the size. Here is the exact cookie scoop that I used.
Place the cookie dough balls on the lined baking sheet with at least 2 inches in between each cookies, these cookies spread a lot! I baked about 12 cookies per pan, but if you are really dedicated to them not touching at all, do 8 cookies per pan. This recipe makes about 35 individual cookies.
Bake the cookies at 350 for about 10-11 minutes. You will know the cookies are done when they are puffed up all across the center, and slightly firmer on the edges. The center should only have a small spot that is still shiny, no more than the size of a dime. Remove the cookies from the oven and they will fall flat and crack within 1-2 minutes. Remove to a wire rack after a few minutes, and let cool completely
Make sandwiches. Once the cookies are cool, add a little more than a tablespoon of Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce onto the bottom of a cookie, then sandwich it with the bottom of another cookie. Devour immediately! The crispy cookie edges will soften from the caramel after they have been sandwiched a while. This recipe makes about 17-18 sandwiches.
Storage: Do not stack the cookies or the caramel might start to ooze out of the sides. Even then, the caramel might start to ooze out, it depends on how thick your caramel ended up (how long you let it turn amber, and then what temperature you cooked it to afterward.) If you are making these for an event and want them to look nice, I recommend waiting until just a couple hours before serving to make them into sandwiches, and then if you are still worried, storing them covered in the fridge. Let them come to room temperature before serving!

Notes

Caramel: I do not recommend using a store bought caramel sauce for this recipe. They are too thin! The homemade recipe is a lot thicker than your average caramel, making it perfect for spreading between these cookies. You can try a store bought caramel, but you will have to eat them immediately after making the sandwiches, so the caramel doesn't ooze out! A good alternative would be to buy a can of Dulce de leche, or make your own homemade Dulce de leche.

Nutrition