Salted Caramel Snickerdoodles
- Salted Caramel:
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- Snickerdoodles:
- 1 cup (200 g) crushed salted caramel
- 3/4 cup (150 g) ground salted caramel
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar, divided
- 1/4 cup (55 g) firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 3/4 cups plus 2 teaspoons (350 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- Flaked sea salt, for finishing
- Make the salted caramel:
- Line a half sheet pan with a nonstick baking mat or parchment paper
- Add sugar and water to a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan
- Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved
- Do not stir at all once sugar is fully dissolved
- Optional: for expediancy, increase heat to high once sugar is dissolved. This will allow you to rapidly boil off the remaining water without risking burning the sugar. Reduce heat to medium once the water has boiled off.
- Continue heating until mixture is a light amber color and possibly beginning to smoke slightly
- Immediately pour onto prepared pan, and sprinkle with salt.
- Let cool completely.
- Pro Tip: Have everything ready to go for the salted caramel. There are a few seconds between a toasty caramel and a burnt sugar, so you want to be able to pour out the caramel as soon as it is ready.
- Prepare the salted caramel for baking:
- Once caramel is fully cooled, break into large chunks.
- Weigh out 200g caramel.
- Place into a resealable plastic bag, and break with a rolling pin until it forms small chunks. Set aside.
- Place remaining salted caramel in the work bowl of a food processor.
- Pulse until finely ground
- Weigh out 150g ground caramel. Set aside.
- NOTE: Once ground, the caramel will pull moisture out of the environment and start to clump quite quickly, so don't grind the caramel until you are ready to bake the cookies.
- (Finally) Make the cookies:
- Add butter, ground caramel, 100g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar, and brown sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Using the mixer's paddle attachment, beat at high speed until creamy, 2-3 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Reduce speed to medium and add egg and vanilla. Beat until combined, then reduce speed to low.
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating until just combined.
- Add caramel chunks and stir until evenly distributed.
- In a small bowl, stir together cinnamon and remaining 50g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar.
- Using a 1 tablespoon scoop, scoop dough and roll into balls.
- Roll balls in cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Place 2 inches apart on prepared pans.
- Freeze for 5 minutes, and then bake, one batch at a time, until golden brown and puffed up. 11 to 12 minutes.
- Let cool completely on pans.
- Sprinkle with flaked sea salt, and store in an airtight container.