Salted Caramel Cookies – Soft and Buttery Perfection
This soft and buttery salted caramel dessert features a tender shortbread crust, rich homemade caramel, and optional chocolate ganache. Perfectly sweet and salty with a melt-in-your-mouth finish.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 1½ hours (including chilling)
- Yield: 16 squares 1x
Ingredients
Shortbread Base:
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2 cups all-purpose flour
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1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
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½ cup powdered sugar
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¼ tsp salt
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1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Salted Caramel:
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1 cup granulated sugar
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6 tbsp unsalted butter
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½ cup heavy cream
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1 tsp sea salt
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1 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Ganache (Optional):
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4 oz dark chocolate, chopped
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¼ cup heavy cream
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Flaky salt for topping (optional)
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8 pan with parchment.
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Mix flour, sugar, salt, and butter until crumbly. Press into pan. Bake 20–22 minutes. Cool.
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In a saucepan, melt sugar until amber. Whisk in butter, then cream. Stir in salt and vanilla.
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Pour caramel over crust. Chill 30 minutes.
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(Optional) Melt chocolate with cream, spread over caramel. Top with flaky salt. Chill 1 hour.
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Slice and serve chilled or at room temperature.
Notes
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8 pan with parchment.
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Mix flour, sugar, salt, and butter until crumbly. Press into pan. Bake 20–22 minutes. Cool.
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In a saucepan, melt sugar until amber. Whisk in butter, then cream. Stir in salt and vanilla.
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Pour caramel over crust. Chill 30 minutes.
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(Optional) Melt chocolate with cream, spread over caramel. Top with flaky salt. Chill 1 hour.
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Slice and serve chilled or at room temperature.