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Salted Caramel Molasses Cookies are chewy molasses cookies stuffed with salted caramel chocolate candies. They are easy to make, freezer-friendly, and a decadent treat when you serve them warm from the oven. Ooey-gooey chocolate caramel is in every bite.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love These Cookies
Molasses cookies are one of my favorites, and I make them all year, especially during the holidays because they taste like Christmas with all the spices.
I love a simple molasses cookie, but you guys know me – of course, I can’t leave well enough alone! Stuffing them with caramel chocolate candies just takes them to a whole new level. They’re rich and decadent – a perfect cookie for gifting or keeping all to yourself.
- These cookies are super soft and chewy, just like good cookies should be. They’re stuffed with a Dove Salted Caramel chocolate candy, which I am totally addicted to.
- When they’re warm and you cut them in half, the caramel oozes out. And that’s a happy, happy thing. But they’re equally delicious at room temperature, too – perfect for gifting and cookie exchanges.
- Last but not least, they are freezer-friendly. So, feel free to make a batch, stash them away, and then treat yourself or someone else later. Sometimes I freeze them just so I don’t burn through the whole batch myself!
Ingredients
Butter: Start these cookies with softened unsalted butter.
Brown Sugar: Just brown sugar in these cookies! Be sure to measure it packed.
Molasses: I just buy the kind in the baking aisle – unsulphured molasses.
Eggs: Be sure to buy large eggs.
Vanilla Extract: For flavoring
Baking Soda: This is how we leaven cookies – the baking soda helps with spread.
Salt: Required since we’re using unsalted butter – plus you’ll want it for the top of the cookies.
Spices: Pumpkin spices include Cinnamon and Ground ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. Or you can use pumpkin pie spice.
Flour: Be sure to use all purpose flour!
Caramels: You have choices for these cookies. You can use Dove Salted Caramel Chocolate Candies (or regular chocolate caramel), Rolos, or skip the chocolate covered candy and use Werther’s Soft Caramel Candies. I recommend the soft not chewy.
How to Make Molasses Cookies with Caramel Inside
- Before you start, please note: this cookie recipe has two chilling steps. I know, I know but be assured that it’s worth it. Just plan ahead!
- Mix Cookie Dough: Cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the molasses and mix until the mixture is smooth. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. Mix in the baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and flour. Keep mixing until a very soft, smooth dough forms.
- Chill #1: Because the dough is so soft, you will need to chill it for 30 to 45 minutes. Then, once you can handle it without it sticking too much to your hands, it’s ready.
- Form the cookies: Take two tablespoons of dough and form a ball. Place a candy in the center and wrap the dough over it. Roll it between your hands to form a smooth ball. The dough should entirely encapsulate the candy – you shouldn’t be able to see it. Repeat this with the rest of the dough and place the balls on a cookie sheet.
- Chill #2: Chill the stuffed dough balls for at least two hours. This will firm up the butter, so your cookies don’t spread too much when they bake.
- Space: Once the dough balls are chilled, transfer them to prepared cookie sheets. The cookies will spread, so I usually place two cookies in each line. You will need to bake them in batches, so keep the rest of the dough balls in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake them.
- How to bake molasses cookies: Bake the cookies at 350°F for 11 to 14 minutes, or until they are no longer glossy in the center and the bottoms are just turning golden brown.
Tips
- Any caramel candy will do if you can’t find the Dove ones. There are lots of other options in the candy aisle, including Hershey’s Kisses and Rolos.
- It is VERY important that you do BOTH chilling steps. This dough is very wet, which results in a gooey soft cookie, but they’ll spread too much if you don’t chill them as directed.
- I like the salted caramel stuffed molasses cookies a little under-baked. If you like them more done, bake them on the longer side of the time range.
- These cookies will keep well for up to four days at room temperature if you keep them in an airtight container. Or freeze them for up to two months.
- Oh, and one last thing. You don’t have to wait until Christmas to make these stuffed molasses cookies. Make a batch this weekend for research! You won’t regret it, I promise you. Enjoy!
Other Fun Christmas Cookies
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Salted Caramel Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup (150g) brown sugar
- ⅓ cup (79ml) molasses
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 ½ cups flour
- About 20 Salted Caramel Chocolate Candies such as Dove, unwrapped (or use any caramel candy, like a Rolo)
Instructions
- **Note: this dough requires chill time!**
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add molasses and mix until mixture is smooth. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. Mix in baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and flour. Mix until a smooth dough forms. The dough will be very soft. Chill dough for 30-45 minutes, or until you can handle it without it sticking too much to your hands.
- Scoop 2 tablespoon balls of dough. Place a candy in the center and wrap the dough over it, rolling between your hands to form a ball. Make sure the candy is not showing. (Alternately, you could scoop two 1-tablespoon sized balls of dough, sandwich the candy, and roll into a ball. Do whichever method you prefer.) Place cookie dough balls on prepared cookie sheet. You don’t need to space them out at this point, they’re getting chilled again.
- Chill dough for at least 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a second cookie sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat. Split cookie dough balls evenly between the cookie sheets. These will spread, so I only put two per line. Place any leftover dough balls back in the refrigerator to chill until you’re ready to bake them.
- Bake cookies for 11-14 minutes, until they are no longer glossy in the center and the bottoms are just getting golden brown. I like to err on the side of underdone cookies, but that’s preference. Bake them towards the longer side if you like your cookies baked more.
- Cool completely before removing from cookie sheets. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Recipe Nutrition
Level up your Molasses Cookies with Salted Caramel Stuffed Molasses Cookies! This is the perfect easy cookie recipe for Christmas.
You hit on so many things in this post ….the difference between molasses and gingerbread cookies being simply one of presentation, never thought of it that way but so true!
I adore molasses cookies. Sometimes I make them in the summer because there’s nothing like it, even if the rest of the world is eating watermelon 🙂 Love love love them!
And with the salted caramel (great idea to use the Doves, way less mess than any other method!) I’d eat the whole batch! Seriously!
I always think of you when I think of molasses cookies. Boy, if we didn’t care about being fat our girls weekend would be FULL of sugar… 😉
Love that you stuffed molasses cookies! The salted caramel is a perfect addition!
Mmmm looking the ooey gooey cookies! I don’t care what you call them I want them!!!
Molasses cookies are one of my favorites too. The picture with the gooey, melted chocolate center looks amazing!
One of my friends hosts a cookie exchange every year, so I may have to bake these! I’m also addicted to Dove chocolates – I haven’t tried the salted caramel ones yet though! Adding to grocery list now…
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