Salted caramel sugar cookies are a thick, soft, chewy sugar cookie, topped with a beautiful pool of salted caramel icing! These cookies went viral for a reason, but you’ve got to try them to believe just how good they are. You can easily make a batch in just 20 minutes and they are perfect for cookie exchanges! When salty and sweet combine like this, it’s hard to resist.
DELICIOUS! I happened to have some coarse salt on hand so I sprinkled a little on the tops! These cookies are to die for! Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
MARY
When I think fall, salted caramel immediately comes to mind. You are going to love this thick, soft, chewy sugar cookie, topped with a beautiful pool of salted caramel icing. They’re one of my favorite fall cookie recipes!
Why do I call them salted caramel sugar cookies? Because that’s how our friends and family (my market research team) described them when they took a bite. The slightly salty brown sugar icing is the perfect complement. So go ahead, try them for yourself and let me know what you think!
Sugar cookies are pretty near perfect by themselves, but topped with a salted caramel icing and I’m in heaven. These cookies are so much easier than you’d anticipate. No fussy details, just a simple thumbprint sugar cookie topped icing!
Why You’ll Love these Cookies
- Staple Ingredients – These cookies are made with a few standard pantry staples and some staple refrigerated items that you might need to grab at the store.
- Sweet and Salty – I’m an avid fan of sweet and salty treats, like my Fleur De Sel Caramel Sauce, and I love how this icing pairs so well with a basic sugar cookie.
- Perfect for Cookie Exchanges – Or for gifting to your neighbors, friends and family!
Ingredients
- Butter – Salted, softened for a smooth texture. Learn how to soften butter quickly.
- Vegetable Oil – Two forms of oil in this recipe give them a melt in your mouth texture.
- Brown Sugar – This ingredient gives them the caramel flavor and makes them stand out among traditional sugar cookies. Learn about the Best Brown Sugar Substitutes here.
- Powdered Sugar – Also known as confectioner’s sugar, its fine texture is synonymous with sugar cookies. Learn how to make powdered sugar if you don’t have any on hand.
- Vanilla – Homemade Vanilla or store bought, a hint adds rich flavor.
- Eggs – Large eggs.
- Flour – All purpose, no need to sift.
- Salt – Brings out all the other flavors in baking.
- Baking Soda – The leavening agent in these cookies that make them rise to perfection.
- Cream of Tartar – This ingredient increases the volume while keeping them light and bright.
Icing Ingredients
A blend of ingredients makes a smooth, delicious pool that floods these cookies with flavor.
- Butter
- Milk
- Brown Sugar
- Powdered Sugar
- Salt
- Vanilla
Tips
- Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes before forming the cookies.
- Let the cookies cool before icing them.
- The caramel will harden just enough to stack, but not enough to take away that soft, chewy flavor you’ll love.
- Bake these salted caramel sugar cookies on a parchment or silpat lined cookie sheet.
More Caramel
Salted Caramel Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter softened
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 1¼ cups light brown sugar packed
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 6 cups all-purpose flour spooned into measuring cup and leveled
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
Icing
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 3 tablespoons milk
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat to combine butter, oil, powdered sugar, brown sugar, water and vanilla extract until smooth. Add eggs and mix until just combined.1 cup salted butter, ¾ cup vegetable oil, 1¼ cups light brown sugar, 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons water, 2 large eggs
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda and cream of tartar. Gradually blend dry ingredients into wet ingredients on low.6 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- Cover and refrigerate dough 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Drop large (golf ball size) dough balls and press with a small greased glass to flatten and use the back of a spoon (or measuring spoon) to make a pool for the icing.
- Bake 8 minutes in the center of the oven until just set. Allow to set 1 minute and transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
Icing
- In a medium mixing bowl or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream butter, milk, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract and salt until light, fluffy and creamy, about 4 minutes. Optionally, you can take the extra step to melt icing in a measuring cup to pour into cookie pool, or use a teaspoon to fill.2 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons milk, ½ cup light brown sugar, 1 cup powdered sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Julie’s Tips
- This is a slightly drier dough since it’s a sugar cookie with lots of flour, but it’s easily moldable. If you refrigerate for longer than noted, allow the dough to sit out until moldable. (And always keep it covered).
- It’s important that you beat the icing until light and fluffy to dissolve the sugar. As noted in the recipe card, you can also warm and pour the icing, which again, will help dissolve the brown sugar.
- The cookies don’t have to be completely cooled before adding the icing, but I like to leave just a few minutes so they set up nicely.
- I like to warm the salted caramel icing for just 10-15 seconds, until pourable. It will harden as it cools.
- The caramel will harden just enough to stack, but not enough to take away that soft, chewy flavor you’ll love.
Storage Notes
Store in an airtight container or plastic bag up to three days. Allow your salted caramel sugar cookies to cool. Cover or store in an airtight container and refrigerate up to five days. To freeze, first allow to cool. Freeze up to three months. Leave cookies on your counter to thaw to room temperature.Video
Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
DELICIOUS! I happened to have some coarse salt on hand so I sprinkled a little on the tops! These cookies are to die for! Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks SO much for sharing, Mary! You have to try my melt in your mouth sugar cookies, too. Happy Holidays!
Do you think I could substitute coconut oil for the veg oil?
I’m not sure – I don’t bake with coconut oil, sorry
Lisa, I used coconut coil in my cookies and they turned out great. I also had to substitute gluten free flour and vegan butter to meet my husband’s dietary restrictions. We served them this weekend at a party and everyone loved them and had no idea the difference!
Good to know! Veg oil is 🤢
I have the same question as Jen, I thought these were salted caramel cookies? The icing does not resemble salted caramel at all, and contains no salt…
The icing includes 4 ingredients I use in salted caramel and according to my friends and family, that’s exactly what the cookies taste like. I hope you enjoy them as well!
The icing was very grainy. I was disappointed.
Hi Colleen, I’m sorry to hear that. It’s important that you beat the icing until light and fluffy to dissolve the sugar. As noted in the recipe card, you can also warm and pour the icing, which again, would dissolve it.
Hi I just have two questions about this recipe- in the icing part, it calls for 1/4 salt.. what is the measurement on this? And then do you add the salt in with step 8 in the icing?
Thanks! They look amazing! I want to try these!
Your cookies look beautiful, I’m just wondering where the caramel part comes in because they seems to be brown sugar cookies with a brown sugar frosting. Am I supposed to sprinkle salt over the frosting at the end to make it “salted caramel”?
I am going to put this cookie on my Christmas cookie list!
Shelf life of these & how can I store them