If you love the sweet-and-salty hint of caramel, these caramel-frosted sugar cookies are for you. Soft, tender sugar cookies are topped with a rich caramel frosting for a delightful treat. Serve chilled or at room temperature — they’re heavenly.
You might also enjoy these cookie recipes: Lemon bar cookies, Texas sheet cake cookies, or Cosmic Brownie cookies.
Watch our step by step video!
These caramel-frosted sugar cookies are decadent and easy to make. The buttery caramel frosting lifts a simple sugar cookie to bakery-level deliciousness. Frosted sugar cookies are versatile—swap frostings to change the flavor anytime.
Caramel Sugar Cookies
This cookie starts from a snickerdoodle-style base (without rolling in cinnamon-sugar). That dough creates a sturdier cookie that remains soft inside, making it perfect for frosting.
Cookie Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup shortening
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Cookie Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Cream together butter, shortening, and sugar with an electric mixer until light. Beat in the eggs until combined.
- In a separate bowl whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until combined and a soft dough forms.
- Using a medium cookie scoop, place dough on parchment-lined baking sheets (about six cookies per sheet).
- Bake for 12 minutes, until edges are set.
- Let cookies cool on the sheet for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Caramel Frosting
This caramel frosting is the same simple stovetop caramel used for my caramel cinnamon rolls. It’s best to make the frosting before you begin the dough or while the cookies bake and cool so it has time to return to room temperature. Butter and brown sugar are heated and briefly boiled, then milk is added and the mixture is cooled. Powdered sugar is then beaten in to reach a smooth, spreadable consistency.
Caramel Frosting Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup milk (plus 5–6 teaspoons more for consistency)
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
Caramel Frosting Instructions
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 3–4 minutes or until the mixture deepens to an amber color and becomes slightly frothy. (Times will vary depending on your pan and stove.)
- Add ¼ cup milk, stir, and bring the mixture back to a boil for one minute, stirring frequently.
- Remove from heat and let the caramel cool to room temperature (about 30 minutes). The mixture will thicken as it cools.
- Transfer the cooled caramel to a mixing bowl. Beat in 2 ½ cups powdered sugar and 5–6 teaspoons milk, adding the milk gradually, until the frosting is smooth and spreadable.
Spread the caramel frosting on fully cooled cookies. This recipe yields about 28 cookies. Store them in an airtight container for 3–5 days.
Caramel Frosted Sugar Cookies Recipe
Caramel Frosted Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup shortening
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Caramel Frosting
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 5–6 teaspoons milk (to adjust consistency)
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Cream butter, shortening, and sugar; beat in eggs.
- Whisk flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.
- Combine dry ingredients with the butter mixture to form dough.
- Scoop dough onto parchment-lined sheets using a medium scoop (about six per sheet).
- Bake 12 minutes, then cool on the sheet 3 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
Caramel Frosting
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce to medium-low and simmer 3–4 minutes until amber and slightly frothy.
- Stir in ¼ cup milk and boil for one minute, stirring frequently.
- Remove from heat and cool to room temperature (about 30 minutes); the mixture will thicken.
- Beat the cooled caramel with 2 ½ cups powdered sugar and 5–6 teaspoons milk until smooth and spreadable.
- Frost cooled cookies and let the frosting set before storing.