This cinnamon salted caramel thumbprint cookies recipe is delightful and easy to make. These salted caramel Christmas cookies are perfect for cookie swaps, holiday parties, or a cozy cookie tray any time of year.
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If you enjoy thumbprint cookies, try other variations like lemon curd, strawberry shortbread, or peanut butter and jelly thumbprints for more crowd-pleasing cookie options.
Salted Caramel Thumbprint Cookies Recipe
These cookies highlight an underrated but irresistible pairing: cinnamon and caramel. The flavor combination is warm, slightly spicy, and perfectly balanced by flaky sea salt. The cookie base is a tender brown sugar vanilla cookie with a light cinnamon note, and the centers are filled with a quick, store-bought-caramel-based filling that becomes gooey and irresistible.
One of the nicest parts of this recipe is how simple the caramel filling is. No candy thermometer is required—just unwrapped baking caramels and heavy cream melted together into a smooth, pourable filling. In minutes you’ll have a rich, creamy caramel that sets up beautifully in the baked thumbprints.
For convenience I often use baking caramel bits or unwrapped soft caramels that melt quickly without unwrapping each piece. After the cookies cool, the caramel settles and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt intensifies and brightens the flavor.
This recipe requires no chilling time, so it’s a great last-minute holiday bake that still looks impressive and tastes like you spent hours on it.
Salted Caramel Thumbprint Cookies Ingredients
These caramel thumbprint cookies look elegant but are straightforward to prepare. You’ll need:
- Butter — room temperature, for a soft cookie base.
- Brown sugar — adds moisture and a hint of caramel flavor to the dough.
- Eggs — for structure and richness.
- Pure vanilla extract — use good-quality vanilla for the best flavor.
- All-purpose flour — the base of the dough.
- Baking soda — for a light texture.
- Ground cinnamon — enhances the caramel notes and gives a warm spice flavor.
- Granulated sugar + extra cinnamon — for rolling the cookie dough.
For the salted caramel filling:
- Soft baking caramels — a convenient shortcut; you can also use soft wrapped caramels or a prepared caramel sauce.
- Heavy whipping cream — thins the caramel to a creamy consistency.
- Flaky sea salt — for finishing the cookies and balancing the sweetness.
With these simple ingredients, you’ll have a batch of 30 cookies that bake quickly and impress every crowd.
Equipment
A few basic tools make the process smooth: a rimmed baking sheet (a 3/4 sheet is ideal), a silicone baking mat or parchment paper for nonstick baking, mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons, and either a hand mixer or stand mixer. A small saucepan is helpful for melting the caramel filling, and a cooling rack speeds up the finishing process.
Tips and F.A.Q.
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. For longer storage, freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Freeze cookies solid before stacking to prevent the caramel from sticking.
Any soft caramel candy will work. You can also use a prepared caramel sauce or make a quick caramel sauce from sugar, butter, and cream if you prefer a homemade filling.
Traditionally, caramel is made from white sugar while butterscotch uses brown sugar. The flavors are related but distinct; both are delicious in cookies depending on the flavor profile you want.
More Cookie Recipes to Try
If you like these salted caramel thumbprints, try other favorites such as no-spread sugar cookies for holiday cutouts, peppermint white chocolate sugar cookies for a festive twist, or butterscotch chocolate chip cookies for a richer brown-sugar-forward treat.
Collections of cookie recipes and seasonal desserts are great resources when planning a cookie exchange or holiday baking day.
If you try this recipe, please leave a rating and comment — feedback is always appreciated. Share your cookies by tagging @chenee_today on Instagram.
📖 Recipe
Salted Caramel Thumbprint Cookies with Cinnamon Sugar
Equipment you may need
- ¾ sheet baking pan
- silicone baking mat or parchment paper
- mixing bowls
- measuring cups and spoons
- hand mixer or stand mixer
- small saucepan
- cooling rack
Ingredients
Cinnamon cookies
- ½ cup (114 g) salted butter, room temperature (1 stick)
- 1 cup (220 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2½ cups (313 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
Cinnamon-sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
Salted caramel filling
- 18 squares Kraft baking caramels (or about ¾ cup soft caramels), unwrapped
- 2–3 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
Prepare thumbprint cookies
- Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Combine ¼ cup granulated sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
- With a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle, cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined.
- Mix in flour, baking soda, and ¼ tsp ground cinnamon until just combined.
- Roll dough into 1½-inch balls. Roll each ball in the reserved cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat.
- Place cookie balls on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Press an indentation into the center of each cookie using your thumb or the back of a wooden spoon.
- Bake 10–12 minutes or until edges are lightly golden. Cool completely on a wire rack before filling.
Prepare caramel filling
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine caramels and 2 tablespoons heavy cream. Stir constantly until the caramels melt and the mixture is smooth. Add an extra tablespoon cream if a thinner consistency is needed. The caramel will firm up slightly as it cools.
- Pour about ½ teaspoon of warm caramel into each cooled thumbprint. Sprinkle a pinch of flaky sea salt over each cookie.
- Chill cookies briefly in the refrigerator to help the caramel set if desired. Once set, add any additional sea salt to taste.
Notes
Storage and freezing: Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 4 days. Freeze in an airtight container up to 2 months; freeze cookies solid before stacking so the caramel doesn’t stick together.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 cookie | Calories: 118 kcal | Carbohydrates: 18 g | Protein: 2 g | Fat: 4 g | Saturated Fat: 2 g | Cholesterol: 22 mg | Sodium: 80 mg | Sugar: 10 g
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