These brownie sandwich cookies are absolutely delicious—rich, fudgy cookies with a creamy buttercream ring and a gooey caramel center.
I loved the cookie tops so much I snacked on a few before I could assemble them.
But I saved enough to make them into little sandwich cookies—worth the restraint.
I piped circles of vanilla buttercream on half of the cookies…
…and filled the centers with homemade caramel.
The caramel adds the perfect sweet, silky contrast to the fudgy cookie.
I used my pink decorating bags to pipe the buttercream—any piping bag works well for this.
To assemble, gently press a cookie top onto each buttercream-and-caramel-topped cookie so the filling spreads evenly and the sandwich holds together.
They stack nicely and make a lovely presentation.
The surprise of caramel inside makes each bite extra special—rich, sweet, and irresistibly good.
Brownie Caramel Sandwich Cookies
1 hour
8 minutes
15 minutes
1 hour 23 minutes
Ingredients
Cookies
- 12 oz dark chocolate (I used Guittard Bittersweet 74% Cacao)
- 7 tablespoons butter, salted
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup sugar
- 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 eggs
Caramel Filling
- 1 cup sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter, salted
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Frosting
- 12 tablespoons butter, salted
- 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Cookies: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place butter and 10 ounces of the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Chop the remaining 2 ounces of chocolate into small pieces and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder and set aside.
- Using a stand mixer, beat the sugar, eggs, and vanilla on medium-high for about 8 minutes until light and airy. Fold in the melted chocolate until combined, then add the flour and chopped chocolate and stir until just combined and no flour streaks remain.
- Let the batter rest for about five minutes. Scoop onto prepared baking sheets about three inches apart. Bake for 8 minutes. Allow cookies to cool before assembling.
- Caramel Filling: Heat the sugar in a medium pot, stirring constantly with a whisk. The sugar will clump, then melt into an amber-colored liquid—watch carefully to avoid burning. As soon as it reaches color, add the butter and whisk until melted.
- Remove from heat and slowly stir in the cream until smooth. Pour into a jar and let cool and thicken. This recipe makes more caramel than needed; refrigerate leftovers up to two weeks and reheat as desired.
- Frosting: Beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar and continue beating. Add vanilla and heavy cream and mix until combined, adjusting consistency as needed.
- Pipe buttercream circles onto half of the cooled brownie cookies. Spoon or pipe thickened caramel into the centers and gently press remaining cookies on top to form sandwiches.
Notes
UPDATE: Some readers reported issues with texture. Letting the dough rest is important; you can also chill it about 15 minutes before baking. If you prefer slightly more mounded cookies, try using 1/2 cup flour and 5 tablespoons butter instead of the original amounts—both versions work, though the flatter cookies have deeper fudgy flavor.