Sea Salt Caramel-Stuffed Snickerdoodles

I’ll start by saying it’s a good problem to have. Brian and I gravitate toward different types of dessert flavors so I’m always racking my brain for the ultimate recipe that melds our tastes perfectly. The effort has caused more than a few flops, but it also forces me to be more creative in the kitchen. I’ve been experimenting with salted caramel a lot in the last year (my fav) and Brian would probably eat a shoe as long as it’s covered in cinnamon sugar, so this Sea Salt Caramel-Stuffed Snickerdoodles recipe is like the love child of our dessert fantasies. Enjoy!

Sea Salt Caramel-Stuffed Snickerdoodles

yield: 35 cookies

Ingredients

1/4 cup granulated sugar, for cinnamon-sugar topping

1 T ground cinnamon

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 large eggs

1/4 tsp vanilla

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

35 individual Rolo chocolate-caramel candies

Coarse sea salt or fleur de sel

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; (or try a Silpat mat like mine, here). For the cinnamon-sugar mixture, combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish and set aside. Feel free to adjust to taste if you like more cinnamon. Coarse sugar also adds a fun texture, and  brown sugar is delicious too.

In a large bowl, beat 1 1/2 cups sugar and butter at medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in vanilla.

Sift flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt into mixing bowl. With mixer on low, mix until thoroughly combined. Working 1 tablespoon of dough at a time, roll dough into balls, placing a single Rolo inside each ball of dough. Roll dough balls in the cinnamon sugar mixture and place on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt.

Bake for 7-8 minutes. The cookies should look raw between the cracks and seem underdone.  Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.