Brown Butter Caramel Snickerdoodles

Brown Butter Caramel Snickerdoodles - made April 13, 2013 recipe adapted from Two Peas and Their Pods

I've done Brown Sugar Snickerdoodles, Vanilla Pudding Snickerdoodles, Snickerdoodle Blondies, and I could've sworn I've done Brown Butter Snickerdoodles but apparently I haven't.  Let me rectify that.  And I'll throw in some caramel while I'm at it.  Because I used the Kraft caramel candies, the caramel was more chewy than melt-y once the cookies had cooled.  It was still good though and added to the chewiness of the cookie.  It was hard to get a clear picture of it but you can see it in the inside of the cookie below.

One thing I did find challenging: I always form the cookie dough into balls and freeze them overnight before I bake them.  Before I baked these, I rolled them in the cinnamon sugar but had a hard time getting the cinnamon sugar to adhere to the frozen dough.  I don't know if that's because of the composition of the dough with the brown butter in it but it was unthinkable to have a snickerdoodle that wasn't covered in cinnamon sugar so I persisted.  Through trial and error, I discovered letting the dough balls thaw for even a few minutes allowed the coating to stick more.  So I would suggest you take the dough balls out of the freezer right before you turn on your oven to preheat, then roll them in the coating right before your oven reaches the desired temperature.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup unsalted butter, sliced
1 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt (I used sour cream)
1 cup caramel squares, cut into 1/4's

For Rolling the Cookies:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Sea salt, for sprinkling on top of cookies (optional)

1. In a medium bowl, Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
2. To brown the butter, heat a thick-bottomed skillet on medium heat. Add the sliced butter, whisking frequently. Continue to cook the butter until melted. The butter will start to foam and browned specks will begin to form at the bottom of the pan. The butter should have a nutty aroma. Watch the butter carefully because it can go from brown to burnt quickly. Remove butter from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the brown butter and sugars. Mix until blended and smooth. Beat in the egg, yolk, vanilla, and yogurt (or sour cream) and mix until combined. Slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
4. Form the dough in a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Measure out 2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a disk.  Place caramel in the center of the dough and wrap the cookie dough around the caramel, covering it completely.  If freezing the dough balls, place in freezer bags and freeze for several hours or overnight.
5. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
6. In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar. Roll the slightly thawed dough balls in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place dough balls on a large baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Make sure the cookies are about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle the cookie tops with sea salt if desired.
7. Bake the cookies 8-10 minutes or until the edges of the cookies begin to turn golden brown. The centers will still be soft. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes, or until set. Transfer cookies to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.