These easy Dulce de Leche Cookies feature soft, buttery dough filled with caramel and topped with a pinch of sea salt. If you love the combination of sweet and salty flavors, you will love these thumbprint cookies!
With their tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture and a touch of sea salt to balance the sweetness, these cookies are one of my family’s favorites. I love to make these cookies around the holidays to share with friends and neighbors, and my annual Christmas cookie exchange. They’re the perfect sweet treat to make for any occasion!
What makes this recipe even better is how simple it is. The cookies are easy to shape and fill, but they look fancy on the plate. This is also a great recipe to make with kids. They can help roll the dough into balls and press the thumbprints!
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For more easy drop cookie recipes, be sure to check out our Molasses Crinkle Cookies, Soft Chocolate Chip Sea Salt Cookies, Hot Chocolate Cookies, and Oatmeal Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Simple to Make: These thumbprint dulce de leche cookies are so simple to make! They require no rolling at all. Just mix, chill, shape and bake!
Sweet & Salty Flavors: The combination of sweet dulce de leche and a pinch of sea salt creates a lovely contrast, making these cookies seriously addictive.
Soft & Buttery: The base of these thumbprint cookies is the perfect soft and buttery cookie that pairs beautifully with the caramel filling!
Ingredients Notes
Here’s what you’ll need to prepare these Dulce de Leche thumbprint cookies:
Butter (3/4 cup) – I use unsalted butter, but you can use salted butter if that’s what you have on hand. Just reduce the amount of salt you sprinkle on top of the cookies.
Sugar (3/4 cup) – Regular, granulated sugar works great here! It adds just the right amount of sweetness to the cookie dough.
Vanilla extract (2 teaspoons) – Vanilla adds an extra depth of flavor to the simple sugar cookie dough.
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk – The extra egg yolk adds a bit of extra richness!
All purpose flour ( 2 1/2 cups) – All-purpose flour works well for this recipe. You can also opt for a gluten-free flour blend.
Dulce de Leche (1/2 cup) – This thick, sweet caramel sauce is available in some grocery stores (often near the sweetened condensed milk), or you can make homemade dulce de leche.
Flaky sea salt (1 tablespoon) – I love Maldon sea salt because it’s wonderfully flaky and adds a bit of crunch!
Equipment Needed
You just need a few pieces of equipment to make these caramel thumbprint cookies:
- Mixer with paddle attachment
- Spatula
- Baking sheet (one or two)
- Parchment paper
Step by Step Instructions
STEP ONE: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the softened butter and sugar. Cream until smooth.
STEP TWO: Add in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Mix until combined.
STEP THREE: Add in half of the flour and mix on low speed until combined. Add in the remaining flour and mix until combined. Cover and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour. (The dough can be prepared up to this point, and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
STEP FOUR: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
STEP FIVE: Shape the dough into rounded 1 tablespoon sized balls and arrange them 2 inches apart on the parchment lined sheets. Slightly flatten the balls with the palm of your hand. Using a teaspoon measuring spoon, make an indentation in the center of each cookie.
STEP SIX: Bake in the preheated oven until the edges barely start to brown, about 10 to 12 minutes.
STEP SEVEN: Remove the pans from the oven. If needed, use a teaspoon to press down on the indentations while the cookies are still warm. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature.
STEP EIGHT: Using a small spoon or pastry bag, fill the indentation of each cookie with dulce de leche. Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt flakes. Makes about 36 cookies.
Storing and Freezing
Storing: These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. If you live in a warm climate, consider refrigerating them to keep the dulce de leche firm.
Freezing: To freeze the dough, shape it into balls and freeze on a baking sheet until solid. Transfer to an airtight bag and freeze for up to 2 months. When ready to bake, thaw in the fridge overnight before proceeding with the recipe. Baked cookies can also be frozen, but it’s best to freeze them unfilled, and then fill them in before serving.
Make Ahead Directions
You can prepare the dough (through Step 3), cover the bowl tightly, and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
When you’re ready to bake the cookies, prepare the baking sheets, preheat the oven, roll and fill as directed.
What Can I Substitute for Dulce de Leche?
Dulce de leche is a great option, but you can use a caramel filling instead! They are quite similar, except for dulce de leche has milk in it and caramel doesn’t.
Feel free to make a homemade caramel or use a store-bought one!
Recipe Variations
Brown Butter Cookies – To add a nutty flavor to the cookie dough, you can brown half of the butter before adding to the mixing bowl. Sally’s Baking Recipes has a good tutorial for how to brown butter.
Add a chocolate drizzle – For extra indulgence, drizzle melted dark chocolate over the top of each cookie after filling with dulce de leche.
Switch up the the fillings – Instead of caramel, you can fill the thumbprint cookies with:
- Strawberry Jam
- Peach Preserves
- Lemon Curd
- Raspberry Jam
- Nutella
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Dulce de Leche Cookies
Equipment
- electric stand mixer with paddle attachment
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- silicone spatula
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup dulce de leche
- 1 tablespoon sea salt flakes
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the softened butter and sugar. Cream until smooth.
- Add in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Mix until combined.
- Add in half of the flour and mix on low speed until combined. Add in the remaining flour and mix until combined. Cover and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Shape the dough into rounded 1 tablespoon sized balls and arrange them 2 inches apart on the parchment lined sheets. Slightly flatten the balls with the palm of your hand. Using a teaspoon measuring spoon, make an indentation in the center of each cookie.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the edges barely start to brown, about 10 to 12 minutes.
- Remove the pans from the oven. If needed, use a teaspoon to press down on the indentations while the cookies are still warm. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature
- Using a small spoon or pastry bag, fill the indentation of each cookie with dulce de leche. Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt flakes. Makes about 36 cookies.
Notes
Nutrition
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Eliza Cross is the creator of Happy Simple Living, where she shares ideas to help busy people simplify cooking, gardening, holidays, home, and money. She is also the award-winning author of 17 cookbooks, including Small Bites and 101 Things To Do With Bacon.
These are the yummiest cookies— crisp on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, with sweet caramel and the crunch of sea salt in every bite!
Could I make the dough and refrigerate overnight and bake in the morning?
Haley, great question! Yes, you can make the dough in advance, refrigerate overnight, and bake the next day. I’m going to update the directions. Thank you so much, Eliza
Can I freeze cookies with the leche on it, will it le leche become hard on defrost?
I recommend freezing the cookies unfilled, and filling them with dulce de leche before serving. If they are frozen filled, the caramel can sometimes become a little watery when thawing. Thank you for asking a great question! ~Eliza