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–+ servings

Dulce de Leche Cookies

5 from 1 vote
Soft brown sugar cinnamon cookies stuffed with dulce de leche, topped with cream cheese & a swirl of dulce de leche.
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Prep Time50 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Chilling Time 45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 45 minutes
Servings8 cookies
Calories396 kcal

Ingredients 

Brown Sugar Cookies

  • 8 tbsp. dulce de leche
  • 90 g unsalted butter room temperature (6 ⅓ tbsp.)
  • 150 g light brown sugar (¾ c.)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 160 g all purpose flour (1 ⅓ c.)
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp. salt

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 100 g cream cheese room temperature (½ c.)
  • 42 g unsalted butter room temperature (3 tbsp.)
  • ⅛ tsp. salt
  • 160 g powdered sugar (1 ⅓ c.)
  • ½ tsp. vanilla extract
  • 4 tbsp. dulce de leche for swirling on top

Instructions 

Brown Sugar Cookies

  • Prior to starting the cookies, you'll want to freeze 1 tbsp. balls of the dulce de leche for stuffing into the cookies. I used a 1 tbsp. cookie scoop and scooped 8 balls of dulce de leche on to a parchment lined sheet, then stuck it in the freezer. It will take ~30-60 min. to freeze, so I'd recommend doing this the night before to make things easier.
  • Add the butter and brown sugar to a medium sized mixing bowl. Use a hand or stand mixer to beat the mixture together until it's light and fluffy (~2-3 min.)
  • Add in the egg and vanilla, and beat until well combined (1 min.)
  • Add in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Use a rubber spatula to fold the ingredients together just until no flour streaks remain.
  • Cover the bowl then place in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes, to firm up.
  • Scoop out 3 tbsp. scoops of the cookie dough. Use your palm to flatten the cookie dough ball down, then place a frozen ball of dulce de leche in the center of the flattened cookie.
  • Fold the overhanging cookie dough on top of the dulce de leche, making sure it is completely trapped inside each cookie.
  • Place the cookie dough balls back into the fridge for 30 minutes.*
  • Once the cookies have chilled, preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or with a silicone baking mat.
  • Evenly space out the cookies on the cookie sheet, leaving room for spreading.
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the sides of the cookies just start to turn golden brown, and the top of the cookies looks just slightly wet.
  • If the cookies are a little misshapen, place a bowl that is slightly larger than the cookies over them, and swirl the bowl around to make the cookie more round. Let the cookies rest on the hot baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.
  • Allow the cookies to come to room temperature before frosting them.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • In a small bowl, beat together the cream cheese, butter and salt until the mixture is smooth.
  • Add in ½ of the powdered sugar and beat until combined, then beat in the remaining powdered sugar, followed by the vanilla.
  • Top each cookie with ~1.5 tbsp. of the frosting. Use a spoon to make crevices in the frosting for the dulce de leche to sit in.
  • Place extra dulce de leche in a bowl (~4 tbsp. but adjust to your preference) and microwave it in 5-second intervals until it loosens up.
  • Add some dulce de leche on to each of the cookies, and gently swirl it around into the cream cheese frosting. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

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*At this point, you could keep the dough in an airtight container and leave it in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking, or freeze it for up to 1 month.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookieCalories: 396kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 4gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 69mgSodium: 270mgPotassium: 79mgFiber: 1gSugar: 38gVitamin A: 612IUVitamin C: 0.02mgCalcium: 80mgIron: 1mg