Dulce de Leche Cookies are a soft cookie with a chewy texture with subtle hint of caramel flavor. If you love dulce de leche, you're going to love these easy to make cookies!
You'll fall in love with these tender dulce de leche cookies the first time you make them. It's the perfect treat for any occasion.
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Check out my Lemon Blueberry Cookies and my Lemon Shortbread Cookies for more delicious cookie recipes! And, if you love soft cookies, don't miss Tiramisu Cookies or Soft Lemon Cookies with olive oil.
You'll Love Dulce de Leche Cookies
Dulce de Leche Cookies are the perfect cookie if you love that sweet caramel-like dulce de leche flavor. This simple cookie is easy to make and sure to be a new favorite.
These delicious cookies have just the right amount of sweetness without being overly sugary. The recipe is straightforward, making it a great option for both beginners and experienced bakers.
There's only simple ingredients used that are found at any grocery store in the baking aisle. Everything you need is likely already in your pantry!
You'll love that you can make your own dulce de leche at home using sweetened condensed milk, or buy it already made at most grocery stores. Use leftover dulce de leche to drizzle over the cooled cookies or over ice cream.
So, if you love soft melt in your mouth cookies, give these Dulce de Leche Cookies a try. You're going to love them!
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour: use regular all purpose flour for these cookies.
- Baking powder: make sure you are using baking powder and not baking soda.
- Salt: a bit of kosher salt is great in the batter. Use a pinch of sea salt for topping the baked cookies.
- Unsalted butter: use room temperature unsalted or salted butter.
- Granulated sugar: regular white sugar works best.
- Dulce de leche: Provides a subtle caramel flavor that infuses the dulce de leche cookies with a unique taste. If you can't find it pre made, see below on how to make at home.
- Egg: you'll need a large room temperature egg.
- Vanilla extract: use a bit of vanilla to flavor the batter.
- Powdered sugar (for dusting): confectioners sugar is great for dusting the cooled cookies if you don't want to add a dulce de leche drizzle.
How To Make Dulce De Leche Cookies
Dulce de Leche Cookies are a delicious soft cookie that comes together fast with just a few ingredients. Start by preheating oven and lining a cookie sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
Step 1. mix dry ingredients:
In a medium bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Step 2. mix wet ingredients:
In a large bowl, beat unsalted butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. You can also make this in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Then, mix in dulce de leche, egg, and vanilla extract until well combined.
Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet mixture, mixing with hand mixer until just combined.
Step 3. form dough balls and bake:
Use a cookie scoop or spoon to drop dough balls (a large tablespoon of cookie dough, about 1-inch balls) onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
Bake cookies in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden brown.
Step 4. cool and decorate: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once cooled, you can either dust the cookies with powdered sugar or drizzle the top of the cookies with leftover dulce de leche. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt (optional).
NOTE: You can print the FULL recipe with all ingredients & detailed instructions below!
Recipe Tips
Make sure your butter and egg are at room temperature. This helps with even mixing and a consistent texture in your dough.
When combining the wet ingredients and dry ingredients, mix until just combined. Over mixing can lead to tough cookies.
If your dough seems too soft, chill dough in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. This makes it easier to handle and prevents excessive spreading during baking.
Give enough space between the cookie dough balls on the baking sheet. As they bake, they'll spread, and you want to prevent them from merging into one big cookie.
Sprinkle in a pinch of ground cinnamon or nutmeg to the dough to add warmth and depth to the cookies.
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for three days or refrigerate for a week.
How to Use Sweetened Condensed Milk to Make Dulce de Leche
To make dulce de leche by boiling the can of sweetened condensed milk, first remove the label from the can and place it in a large pot. Fill the pot with water, making sure the can is fully submerged, and bring it to a boil.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and let it cook for 2-3 hours, ensuring the can remains submerged at all times. Afterward, carefully remove the can from the water, let it cool completely before opening.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! Homemade dulce de leche can work well in this recipe. Just make sure it's at a similar consistency to store-bought versions for the best results.
Yes, you can prepare the cookie dough ahead of time, shape it into dough balls, and freeze them. When you're ready to bake, you can place the frozen dough balls on a baking sheet and bake them directly from the freezer. You might need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time.
They can stay fresh for about 3-5 days stored in an airtight container.
Yes, they freeze well. Place them in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 2 to 3 months.
Absolutely! Shape dough into balls, freeze on a tray, then transfer to a bag. Bake from frozen when needed.
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Dulce de Leche Cookies
Equipment
- baking sheet
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup dulce de leche *see note
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to mix the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the dulce de leche, egg, and vanilla extract to the butter mixture, and beat until well combined.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing until just combined.
- Using a cookie scoop or spoon, drop dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Drizzle with warmed dulce de leche and a sprinkle of sea salt before serving.
Notes
- *Dulce de leche can be found at most grocery stores. You can make your own using a can of sweetened condensed milk. See recipe post for instructions.
- Make sure your butter and egg are at room temperature. This helps with even mixing and a consistent texture in your dough.
- When combining the wet ingredients and dry ingredients, mix until just combined. Overmixing can lead to tough cookies.
- If your dough seems too soft, chill dough in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. This makes it easier to handle and prevents excessive spreading during baking.
- Give enough space between the cookie dough balls on the baking sheet. As they bake, they'll spread, and you want to prevent them from merging into one big cookie.
- Finish the cookies with a drizzle of warm dulce de leche and a sprinkle of sea salt. You can also finish with a dusting of powdered sugar.
- Storing: These cookies can stay fresh for about 3-5 days stored in an airtight container.
- Freezing: Place them in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 2 to 3 months.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Mary Jane
These were easy to make and have a great flavor.
I would recommend flattening them a little prior to baking as they don't spread (like how you'd do pb cookies) The texture is a little spongey but not bad. I'm thinking flatten them and make a dulce de leche buttercream to make sandwich cookies.
Thanks for the comment. Happy you enjoyed them!