Gingerbread cut-outs drizzled with glossy caramel and finished with a few delicate flakes of sea salt.
The caramel is a topping on flat cut-outs, leaving the gingerbread shape visible underneath. Use a thick sauce and drizzle it only onto completely cooled cookies. Add the flaky salt sparingly, then follow the topping label for storage.
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Salted Caramel Gingerbread Cookies Recipe
Per tray: 8–12 minutes · about 3 trays of similar-size shapes
Allow 176 minutes: 40 hands-on, 60 chilling, 36 for all baking trays, 20 cooling and 20 finish setting. Cooling includes the pan rest. Optional decoration, ingredient warm-up and extra trays add time.
Kitchen tools you’ll need
- Digital scale, 1 g increments (0.1 g for small spice weights)
- Small saucepan and a large mixing bowl
- Rolling pin with ¼ inch (6 mm) thickness guides
- Cookie cutters, about 3 inches (7.5 cm)
- Two light-colored aluminum baking sheets, about 13 × 18 inches (33 × 46 cm), and parchment
- Wide spatula, wire cooling rack and oven thermometer
Ingredients
Cookie dough
Spice blend
Salted caramel finish
Scale ingredients and US equivalents, including eggs. Keep cookie size, thickness, oven temperature and baking time per tray unchanged. More trays add time; weigh beaten egg for fractional batches.
Instructions
Melt & season
- Gently melt butter over low heat. Remove from the heat and stir in sugar, molasses, salt and spices until evenly combined. Let cool until lukewarm before beating in the egg.
Combine
- Whisk flour with baking powder and baking soda, then mix into the wet ingredients until no dry flour remains. Dough will be sticky; do not add more flour.
Firm the dough
- Divide into two flattened rectangles, wrap tightly and refrigerate at least 60 minutes, until cold and firm enough to roll. Chilling firms the butter and lets the flour hydrate.
Shape
- Preheat to 350°F (175°C) conventional, or 320°F (160°C) fan. Lightly flour a clean worktop and rolling pin. Roll one portion ¼ inch (6 mm) thick; cut 3 inches (7.5 cm) shapes. Gather scraps gently; keep the other portion cold.
Check doneness
- Place on parchment-lined pans about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. Bake one tray at a time for 8–12 minutes. Check at 8 minutes, especially with fan: edges should darken slightly and surfaces look set. Smaller shapes finish sooner.
Cool before icing
- Rest on the pan 5 minutes until safe to lift, then transfer to a rack for about 15 minutes or until fully cool. Optional prepared cookie icing may be used according to its packaging; it is additional to this dough formula.
Drizzle and salt
- Drizzle thick prepared caramel over cold cookies. Add a few flakes of sea salt to each while tacky; distribute the small salt quantity across the whole batch. Let the topping cool and thicken about 20 minutes. It remains soft; pack in a single layer.
Chef’s Science & Pro Tips
Use thick topping
Thin sauce runs off the cookie and soaks into the base.
Salt sparingly
A few flakes balance the caramel. Spread the stated amount across the whole batch.
Keep tops separate
Caramel stays soft, so shallow boxes and parchment dividers protect the finish.
Storage and make-ahead
| Method | How long | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Room temperature | 3–4 days | Store in one layer in a cool room and follow the caramel label if refrigeration is required. |
| Refrigeration | Raw dough: up to 2 days | Wrap dough tightly. Plain baked cookies do not need refrigeration. |
| Raw freezing | Up to 2 months | Freeze portions airtight; thaw covered in the refrigerator before baking. |
| Baked freezing | Up to 2 months | Freeze plain baked cookies; thaw and add caramel and salt. |
| Restoring | Before serving | Warm undecorated cookies briefly at 300°F for 3–5 minutes if desired; cool before decorating. |
Notes
- This version uses caramel on top of classic cut-outs, not a stuffed center or thumbprint well. Choose thick topping and follow its storage label. Flaky salt is lighter by volume than fine table salt; do not substitute the same teaspoon amount of table salt.
Nutrition
Estimated nutrition per serving; brands and portion sizes vary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these stuffed with caramel?
No. Thick caramel is drizzled over baked cut-outs.
Can I use fine table salt on top?
Use flaky finishing salt as stated. The same spoon volume of fine salt would be much saltier.
Does the caramel harden?
Most prepared toppings remain soft. Let it thicken and pack in one layer.
Browse more cookie ideas in the Gingerbread Cookies Ideas collection.
