These Dulce de Leche Snickerdoodles are everything you love about the classic cookie. They're soft, chewy, and coated in cinnamon sugar, but this time with a twist! Each cookie is filled with a rich, gooey center of dulce de leche that adds a completely irresistible caramel surprise to every bite.
If you love snickerdoodles, you are sure to love this fun twist on the cookies! These cookies are each filled with a dollop of rich dulce de leche that gets all melty and gooey when the cookies are baked. These stuffed snickerdoodles are seriously addicting, I bet you won't be able to eat just one!
If you love dulce de leche, you'll love my Dulce de Leche Banana Bread too!
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❤️ Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Twist on a Classic: All the cinnamon-sugar goodness of traditional snickerdoodles, but with a gooey dulce de leche center.
- Soft and Chewy: Perfectly tender with just the right amount of crisp on the edges. Just like homemade snickerdoodles should be!
- Crowd-Pleaser: Everyone loves a surprise filling—these cookies disappear fast!
🛒 Ingredients
- Cream of tartar: Gives snickerdoodles their signature tang and chewy texture. Don't skip this crucial ingredient!
- Cinnamon: Adds warm, cozy flavor. A must for snickerdoodles.
- Dulce de leche: Rich, creamy caramel that melts into the center of each cookie. You can buy a can of store bought or easily make your own using my Instant Pot Dulce de Leche recipe.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
🔄 Substitutions & Variations
- Unsalted butter: Salted butter works too—just reduce the added salt to ¼ teaspoon.
🥣 How to Make Dulce de Leche Snickerdoodles
Step 1: Scoop 36 small dollops of dulce de leche (about ½ teaspoon each) onto a baking sheet. Freeze for 15 minutes until firm.
Step 2: Cream butter for 2 minutes in a stand mixer. Slowly add sugar, then beat for another 2–3 minutes until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs one at a time, then add vanilla. Scrape the bowl.
Step 3: Add dry ingredients gradually and mix until combined. Cover and chill the dough for 1 hour.
Step 4: Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl.
Step 5: Scoop dough, flatten slightly, place a frozen dulce de leche center in the middle, and wrap dough around it. Roll into a ball and coat in cinnamon sugar. Place on a baking sheet 2 inches apart.
Step 6: Bake for 8–10 minutes, until the edges are just set and the tops look slightly underdone—this keeps the centers soft and gooey.
🌟Expert Tips
- Let the cookie dough chill for at least an hour (or up to overnight). This helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much while baking and keeps the centers gooey.
- Freezing the dulce de leche dollops makes it easier to fill the cookies and prevents the dulce de leche from melting out during baking.
- Take the cookies out when they’re just set and slightly golden brown. They’ll continue to cook a little bit on the baking sheet, so pulling them out too early will leave them soft and chewy, which is perfect!
- Make sure the dough fully covers the dulce de leche to prevent leakage during baking.
💭 FAQs
Store your snickerdoodles in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. If you want to store them longer, freeze them for up to 3 months.
Yes! You can freeze the dough for up to 3 months. Scoop the dough into balls, wrap the dulce de leche inside, and freeze them on a baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer them to a zip-top bag. When ready to bake, just roll them in the cinnamon-sugar and bake as directed, adding a minute or two to the baking time.
Absolutely! You can prepare the dough and refrigerate it for up to 2-3 days before baking. Just be sure to bring the dough back to room temperature for easier handling if it gets too firm in the fridge.
📋 Recipe
Dulce de Leche Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
Filling
- 6 ounces dulce de leche
Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Topping
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons cinnamon
Instructions
- Using a small cookie scoop sprayed with cooking spray, scoop 36 small dollops of dulce de leche (about ½ teaspoon each) onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Freeze for 15 minutes or until firm.
- Cream butter for 2 minutes in a stand mixer fitted with a cookie paddle attachment. Slowly add sugar, then beat for another 2–3 minutes until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs one at a time, then add vanilla. Scrape the bowl.
- Mix in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and mix until combined. Cover and chill the dough for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Mix cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl.
- Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop the dough, flatten slightly, place a frozen dulce de leche center in the middle, and wrap dough around it. Make sure the dulce de leche is completely covered by the dough so it doesn't leak out when baking. Roll the ball of dough in the cinnamon sugar. Place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 8–10 minutes, until the edges are just set and the tops look slightly underdone—this keeps the centers soft and gooey. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- Storage Info: Store your snickerdoodles in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. If you want to store them longer, freeze them for up to 3 months.
- Freezing the Dough: You can freeze the dough for up to 3 months. Scoop the dough into balls, wrap the dulce de leche inside, and freeze them on a baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer them to a zip-top bag. When ready to bake, just roll them in the cinnamon-sugar and bake as directed, adding a minute or two to the baking time.
- Make Ahead: You can prepare the dough and refrigerate it for up to 2-3 days before baking. Just be sure to bring the dough back to room temperature for easier handling if it gets too firm in the fridge.
Ashley Amundsen says
I literally can't get enough of these cookies! The first time I made them, I had to hold myself back from eating the entire batch. They are SO good! I've since gotten smart and started freezing half of the dough, so I'm not tempted to eat all of them in one sitting. This recipe is definitely a must make!