Brown Butter Salted Caramel Snickerdoodles
Please stop whatever you are doing and make the best non-chocolate cookies I have ever had RIGHT NOW. We can still be friends if you don't, but please consider these the next time you have the urge to bake. I pinned them awhile ago, forgot about them, and was reminded of them when my sister's sister-in-law (got that?) posted about them on Facebook yesterday. I had all the ingredients on hand, so it was my lucky day. These will change your life. Since I did something dreadful to my wrist sledding last week (details of such dreadfulness yet to be determined), I will stop the painful action of typing this cookie's praises now. Consider this recipe my holiday gift to you. You're welcome.
Brown Butter Salted Caramel Snickerdoodles
-from recipecritic.com
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), sliced
- 1 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup caramel squares, cut into 1/4's
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- Coarse Sea salt or kosher salt for sprinkling on completed cookies
1. In a medium sized bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, cream of tarter, cinnamon, and set aside.
2. 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. While the butter is cooling, cut the caramel squares into quarters.
4. 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. Beat in egg, yolk, vanilla and yogurt and mix until combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients until combined.
6. Form the dough into a ball and cover with plastic. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
7. Once you are ready to bake preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Measure about 2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. A 2 T cookie scoop is handy for this task. Flatten the ball and place 11-2 caramel squares inside (I only used 1, as my caramels were large and I didn't want leaking caramel as they baked), 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.
8. Mix 1/4 cup sugar and remaining 2 t. 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 kosher salt)
9. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges turn lightly brown--it actually took about 12-13 minutes in my oven. Just watch them. The centers will still be soft. Let cool on pans for a few minutes, then transfer to wire rack.