Gingerbread Caramel Cookies

Name: Gingerbread Caramel Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 27 min
Ingredients: 140 g Butter, softened ((~10 tablespoons)); 120 g Soft brown sugar ((½ cup, packed)); 60 g Black treacle ((3 tablespoons)); 1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract; 1 Medium Egg; 300 g Plain flour ((~2+½ cups)); 2 Teaspoons Ground ginger; 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon; ¼ Teaspoon Nutmeg; Pinch Salt; 12 Teaspoons Carnation caramel (or 12 soft caramel sweets)

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These gingerbread caramel cookies are soft, sweetly spiced and filled with gooey caramel. They’re easy to make with just a few simple ingredients and they’d make a delicious addition to any festive cookie platter.

gingerbread caramel cookies on a christmas kitchen cloth

Love gingerbread but bored of making the same old cookies year after year? Then these caramel gingerbread cookies are for you! They have all the warming flavours of gingerbread but with a gooey caramel filling, and the texture is just divine!

They are easy enough for beginners to make and involve just a little extra effort to add the caramel filling. They’re perfect for edible gifting, Christmas bake sales, or a fun family weekend activity.

If you’ve never made gingerbread before, this post contains everything you need to know to get them right on the first try, including ingredient notes, step-by-step images and top tips. For those who are more experienced, I’ve written the condensed version in the recipe card at the end of the post. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Butter: This is essential for rich, buttery cookies that hold their shape in the oven without spreading too much. Let it soften at room temperature before you start baking to make it easier to mix.
Brown sugar: This adds a hint of molasses flavour and enhances the chewy texture. I used soft light brown sugar but if you want a deeper flavour, you can use dark brown sugar instead.
Black treacle: This gives the cookies that traditional gingerbread flavour. If you don’t have black treacle, you can substitute it with molasses.
Vanilla extract: This complements the sweet, spicy flavours perfectly. You can use almond extract instead if you’d like something different.
Egg: You’ll need just 1 medium egg for this recipe, which will help the rest of the ingredients bind together.
Plain flour: Also known as all-purpose flour. This gives the cookies their structure.
Baking powder: Adding ½ a teaspoon will give a slight leavening effect without making the cookies too cakey.
Spices: I used ground ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg to give that classic warming gingerbread flavour. You can adjust the quantities to taste and even add a hint of allspice or ground cloves too.
Salt: To enhance the flavour. Skip this if you're using salted butter.
Caramel: To fill the cookies, you can either use soft caramel sweets or you can use a thick ready-made caramel such as dulce de leche (I used Carnation caramel). Thicker caramel will hold up better compared to caramel sauce, which will make your cookie dough soggy and seep out of the sides.

Equipment

Mixing bowl: A large one to make the cookie dough in.
Utensils: A wooden spoon for mixing and a few teaspoons for measuring the vanilla, the spices and the caramel. You can also use a stand mixer or electric whisk to help with mixing the ingredients if needed.
Baking tray or two: This recipe makes 12 cookies and I baked 6 per tray. They need to be left on the tray to cool after baking so you won’t need a wire rack for this recipe.
Baking paper: To prevent the cookies from sticking.

How to Make Gingerbread Caramel Cookies

Step 1: Start by preheating your oven to 180°C/350°F and lining a large tray or two with baking paper. If you’re using a fan or convection oven, the temperature needs to be slightly lower at 160°C/320°F.

Step 2: In a large bowl, mix together 140g of softened butter, 120g of soft brown sugar and 60g of black treacle. Once that’s smooth, stir in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 medium egg.

wet ingredients mixed together in a bowl

Step 3: Next, add your dry ingredients to the bowl. Add 300g of plain flour, ½ teaspoon of baking powder, 2 teaspoons of ginger, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg and a small pinch of salt. Mix well and once the mixture is starting to stick together, use your hands to press it into a large ball of dough.

Step 4: Divide the dough into 12 pieces then split each piece into 2. Roll the first half into a ball, press a dent in the middle using your thumb then fill the dent with 1 teaspoon of caramel or 1 soft caramel. Flatten the second half into a disc and use it to cover the caramel, gently pressing the edges of the two pieces together. Repeat for all 12 cookies (I baked 6 per tray as per photos below).

covering the caramel with the other half of the cookie dough

Step 5: Gently press down on the cookies until they’re around ½ an inch thick. This will help them bake more evenly as this dough doesn't spread very much in the oven.

Step 6: Bake for around 10-12 minutes, until they’re golden brown around the edges. Let them cool completely before removing them from the tray then enjoy!

Top Tips

I recommend a thick caramel such as Carnation caramel or dulce de leche. If you prefer to use caramel candies, use something like Werther's Original soft caramels. Don't use the crunchy type of caramels as they won't melt very well.
Leave a bit of space between the cookies on the tray to prevent them from sticking together as they bake.
Add an extra pinch of salt over the caramel before covering for salted caramel gingerbread cookies.

FAQ

How long do gingerbread caramel cookies last?

If you keep them in an airtight container, these cookies will stay fresh for up to 5 days at room temperature. You can also keep them in the fridge for a chewier texture.

Can I freeze them?

Yes, these can be frozen in airtight containers or freezer bags for up to 3 months. Let them defrost at room temperature for an hour or two and do not refreeze.

Do I have to use black treacle?

Black treacle will give you the best flavour but as I noted earlier in the post, molasses is a great substitute. If you don't mind a slightly different flavour, you can also use golden syrup

What kind of caramel works best for these cookies?

Thick, sturdy caramel such as dulce de leche and Carnation caramel is best, or you can use chewy caramel sweets. Hard caramels won’t melt properly and runny caramel is likely to leak out the edges and burn.

caramel filled gingerbread cookies on a plate

More Christmas cookie recipes:

I hope you have fun making these gingerbread caramel cookies! Make sure to let me know what you think of them by leaving a rating and comment below. Enjoy!