Vanilla Shortbread Salted Caramel Cookies
Vanilla Shortbread Salted Caramel Cookies
These delicate vanilla shortbread cookies are a favorite Christmas cookie recipe! Drizzle a bit of salted caramel and sprinkle of sea salt on top of each cookie for the ultimate treat. These salted caramel cookies are made with just a few simple ingredients, so you’ll be snacking on these thumbprint cookies in no time.
These delicate vanilla shortbread cookies are a favorite Christmas cookie recipe! Drizzle a bit of salted caramel and sprinkle of sea salt on top of each cookie for the ultimate treat. These salted caramel cookies are made with just a few simple ingredients, so you’ll be snacking on these thumbprint cookies in no time.
WHY I MADE THESE CRANBERRY SHORTBREAD COOKIES
Anyone who knows me knows that cookies are my #1 passion. I love cookies so much that I wrote a whole cookbook filled with vegan cookie recipes! I even used to have a vegan cookie business that operated for a few years, too.
So it’s safe to say that developing cookie recipes is my real bread and butter. And now that the holidays have rolled around I knew that I wanted to make a holiday cookie recipe that would be buttery, sweet, vanilla-y, and delicious.
Last week I made these Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies and they were such a hit! I love the idea of drizzling something yummy on top of a cookie, and salted caramel seemed like such a natural solution. I’ve made these vanilla shortbread salted caramel cookies a few times already and I’m always so taken by that melty caramel center in each cookie.
If that sounds good to you, then you’ll love this recipe, too!
MY SALTED CARAMEL SHORTBREAD COOKIE RECIPE
The full directions on how to make these delicious salted caramel cookies is below, but here’s the gist of it:
Beat together the sugar, butter, and egg until it’s thoroughly creamy. Add in the dry ingredients and mix again until just incorporated.
Refrigerate the dough for one hour until firm. Then, separate the cookies into 1” balls and press a well in the center of each cookie.
Meanwhile, make the caramel by melting the butter and sugar together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat add in the heavy whipping cream.
Drizzle the caramel into the middle of each cookie. Finish with a sprinkle of salt, and enjoy!
VANILLA SHORTBREAD SALTED CARAMEL COOKIES KEY INGREDIENTS
butter
sugar
egg yolk
vanilla & almond extract
flour
heavy cream
finishing salt, like Le Saunier De Camargue Fleur De Sel
HOW LONG DO THESE COOKIES TAKE TO MAKE?
These cookies don’t take long to make at all!
After you whip up the vanilla shortbread cookie dough, place it in the fridge for about an hour until firm. And then bake the cookies for about 10 minutes, and allow them to cool completely.
In the meantime, you’ll whip up the caramel sauce. That takes as little as five minutes flat. Drizzle the caramel into the well of each cookie and sprinkle the tops with a bit of finishing salt. Yum!
HOW TO STORE THESE COOKIES?
Once fully cooled, store leftover cookies in an airtight container on the counter. They will stay fresh for about one to two days.
VANILLA SALTED CARAMEL COOKIES FAQ
Is this recipe gluten free?
I haven’t tried this cookie recipe with gluten free flour yet, but if you do, let me know how it goes! I would not recommend using almond flour for this recipe, as it isn’t a great 1:1 substitute for traditional flour in this case.
Is this recipe vegan?
This shortbread cookie recipe can easily be made vegan by using vegan butter and replacing the egg with a flax egg, or flaxseeds. You can also easily use coconut milk in place of heavy whipping cream for this recipe. I haven’t tried those swaps for this recipe, but that is where I would start. If you give it a try, let me know how it turns out!
Do I have to refrigerate the dough for an hour?
Yes, you really need to refrigerate the dough for at least an hour so that the dough doesn’t spread too much. If you don’t mind a flatter cookie, then go ahead and bake the dough as soon as you make it. Just note that you may not be able to create a well in the center of each cookie for the caramel, in that case.
: YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
If you love this recipe be sure to leave a review! And feel free to reach out to me with any questions or comments via my Contact page. You’ll hear back from me soon!
Find even more of my homemade recipes on Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and YouTube.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Vanilla Shortbread Salted Caramel Cookies
Ingredients
- ⅓ c butter, softened
- ¼ c granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ¼ tsp almond extract
- ¾ c flour
- ¼ c brown sugar
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
- 2 tbsp finishing salt, like Le Saunier de Camargue Fleur de Sel
Instructions
- Beat the butter, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add the flour, and mix on low speed until combined.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Once the dough is firm, shape it into 1" balls. Place the cookie dough balls on a cookie sheet, and use a small spoon to create a well in the center of each cookie. I use a 1/2 tsp measuring spoon for this step.
- Bake the cookies for about 10-12 minutes, until the bottoms of the cookies begin to brown. You may need to take a spoon and deepen the wells in the cookies, since they may have flattened a bit (do this while they're still warm). Cool the cookies completely.
- While the cookies cool, make your caramel by melting the butter and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once it reaches a boil, continue to cook the caramel for 1 minute, stirring constantly. If you have a candy thermometer, I let my caramel reach about 230 F.
- Remove the caramel from heat and stir in the heavy whipping cream. Allow the caramel to cool to room temperature.
- Drizzle the caramel into each cookie and sprinkle the tops generously with finishing salt.
The bottoms of these dark chocolate chip pistachio cookies are dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with pistachio dust to create layers on layers of chocolate and pistachio flavor! Serve these big, fluffy cookies with a scoop of ice cream for the ultimate pistachio cookie treat.