This post contains affiliate links, which means I will earn a commission if you click through and buy something, at no additional cost to you!
When my husband and I first moved in together, we each had a book of family recipes that of course I had to flip through. One thing I discovered is that we both had snickerdoodles recipes that were nearly identical! I didn’t want to mess with a tried-and-true favorite too much, but I still thought a twist could be fun. So I decided to stuff them and leave the cookie dough itself untouched. I came up with these apple cider caramel stuffed snickerdoodles.
These cookies are a total joy for fall. They still have all the classic charm of snickerdoodles, with that signature tang and chewy texture that comes from the cream of tartar. However, the caramel filling adds a fun extra surprise, and the apple cider makes them perfect for a new seasonal tradition.
A fun bonus to these is that you will end up with extra caramel. You can use this in other baked goods. You can cut into into pieces, wrap in parchment paper, and give them out as gifts. Or, you can eat it all by itself, since it really is super tasty! I opted to reheat the caramel to set it slightly harder, and then topped with seat salt.
When you are making these, you will get sticky hands. That’s totally okay. Resist licking your fingers though! To roll the stuffed balls, it’s easiest to make two flat disks of cookie dough and wrap those around a ball of caramel. Then roll the whole thing between your hands until smooth.
For the caramel, I was inspired by a recipe from Brown Eyed Baker, although I made a few adjustments so it would work better as cookie filling than a standalone candy. For the cookies, I stuck with the perfect family recipe. Now, let’s get started and make some stuffed snickerdoodles!
Apple Cider Caramel Stuffed Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
Apple Cider Caramel
- 4 cups Apple Cider
- 1/2 cup Butter, unsalted and cut into tbsp sized pieces
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/3 cup Heavy Cream
Snickerdoodles
- 1 cup Butter, unsalted
- 1 1/2 cups Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 2 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 tsp Cream of Tartar
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/4 tsp Salt
Cinnamon Sugar
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 tbsp Cinnamon
Instructions
Apple Cider Caramel
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook the cider on high heat, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes, until reduced into about half a cup of dark syrup. Meanwhile, line a 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper, leaving the parchment hanging over the edges.
- Turn off the heat, and stir in the butter, sugars and cream. The heat over medium low, stirring frequently until the temperature reaches 245F on an instant thermometer.
- Pour the caramel into the prepared baking pan and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours until set. Then refrigerate for one hour so the caramel is hard enough to work with. Remove and cut off 1 tsp sized pieces and roll into balls.
Snickerdoodles
- In a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on medium-low speed until combined. Then add in the eggs and continue mixing.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Add to the mixing bowl in three stages, mixing thoroughly on low each time until combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for half and hour.
- Meanwhile. preheat the oven to 375F. Line baking sheets with silicone or parchment paper. Combine the ingredients for the cinnamon sugar in a small bowl, and mix thoroughly.
- Once the dough is chilled, scoop out 1 Tbsp sized pieces and break each in half. Press each half into a round disk. Then wrap two disks around a ball of caramel, and roll in your hands until it is a smooth sphere, about 1-1 1/2 inches in diameter.
- Roll the balls thoroughly in the cinnamon sugar, and place on the baking sheets three inches apart. Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. The cookies will puff up and then flatten out.
- Remove from the oven and rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack until cooled through. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or freeze for up to two months.
Notes
- These will spread a lot, so leave lots of space! I put six on each cookie sheet.
- You will have leftover cinnamon sugar. If you want to save the cinnamon sugar for later, spoon it onto the cookie dough balls over a plate, instead of submerging them in it. Then add the cinnamon sugar to a shaker jar or old spice container.
- You will also have leftover caramel at the soft ball stage. If you want to make harder caramels to eat or share, reheat the caramel with 1/4 cup of water and cook until it reaches 252F. Then let rest and chill as explained above. Top with cinnamon or sea salt.
Okay, so I’m super allergic to apples and wouldn’t be able to make “apple cider” caramel for these, but I know I could make just “regular” caramel and I’m sure they’d be just as tasty! You’ve given me such a great idea for a fun treat soon!
It would totally work with regular caramel! Allergic to apples sounds so sad; they are all I’ve been eating for the last couple months.
Oh wow, these look delicious! I’ve never had snickerdoodles with a filling, but it seems like a great idea! Apple cider caramel sounds amazing too.
Thanks! The caramel is so great by itself and in the cookies. Stuffing cookies can be a fun surprise so I love trying it.
Just when I though I couldn’t live a snickerdoodle more, I see this recipe. These cookies look amazing!
Thank you! Snickerdoodles really are the best, but it’s still fun to make them more interesting.
These look and sound so amazing! They are so perfect for the holiday season as well!
Kileen
cute & little
Thanks! I think they’d be so fun for a holiday cookie exchange or dessert table.
My mouth is watering looking at these pics! These sound absolutely amazing!
Thank you! I hope you get a chance to make and try them.
These sound amazing! My husband loves apple cider so this would be a fun thing to make for our family. I’m sure they’d get devoured easily!
Thank you, they were! It was hard not to eat the whole plate at once, and that cider flavor really comes through nicely. I’m sure your husband will love them.
That filling sounds like it would be perfect for stroopwafels, I’ll have to give that a try. I think your caramel temps might be 100° low, though ?
You should try it! And you’re right, whoops. I adjusted the recipe.