A signature cookie that tastes a bit like a gooey, cinnamon caramel pecan roll but with a hearty oatmeal cookie texture? And makes your house smell heavenly while baking? Yes, please! This is how our Silver Homestead Signature Cinnamon Caramel Cookie recipe came to be.
This post contains an affiliate link to the cookie scoop I used to make the jumbo cookies shown.
Cinnamon Caramel Cookie:
I invented my own cookie recipe
A few years ago I invented my own cookie recipe. I wanted a jumbo sized cookie that felt substantial in my hand with a flavor that was sophisticated and strikingly unique. I started with the basics of a good cookie then tinkered with it for a month to get everything just right.
I loved the combination of oats and Rice Krispies I’d had in the cowboy cookies a friend made so those went in, too, plus a generous dash of cinnamon. The result was absolutely phenomenal.
And I kept it a Secret Until Now
This recipe has been a secret, only shared with close friends and family members. Even the jumbo 2 ounce cookie scoop I used was part of the secret to achieve those HUGE, delicious cookies! (Affiliate link.)
A Taste from Our Farmhouse
If you dropped by the farmhouse, there’s a good chance you would find a batch of these cooling on the counter, filling the house with an intoxicating aroma of cinnamon-vanilla-caramel goodness. The morning I made the batch shown in the picture, my son and his two best friends were here devouring breakfast tacos. I heard them attack the plate of cookies and one boy suddenly exclaimed through a mouthful “Man, this is a really good cookie!” They even ate the crumbs clean up off the table, y’all.
The Silver Homestead Signature Cinnamon Caramel Cookie Recipe
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup vegetable shortening (I use unflavored original Crisco)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
2 cups flour
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup cinnamon baking chips (I use Hershey’s brand)
A heaping cup of Kraft caramel bits
½ cup pecan pieces (optional)
2 cups Rice Krispies cereal
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°. Cream together butter, shortening, brown sugar, white sugar and vanilla extract. Add eggs and cinnamon, stirring until the mixture resembles wet sand. Add salt, baking soda, baking powder and flour. Mix until a soft cookie batter forms. Add oats, stir, and then cinnamon chips, caramel bits & pecans (optional) and stir again. Add Rice Krispies very last, stirring minimally to avoid crushing too many of them. Using a jumbo cookie scoop, place 2 ounce (1/4 cup) domed scoops of dough on a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 16 to 18 minutes until edges begin to slightly brown. (Bake 10 to 12 minutes if using a smaller cookie scoop.) Remove from oven and let sit for 8 minutes to allow caramel to firm up before transferring to a cooling rack. Baked cookies freeze for up to 10 days and scoops of dough can be frozen for 2 weeks, then baked as above. Makes about 20 jumbo cookies or 6 dozen smaller cookies.
Download the Printable Recipe Card Here
High Altitude Note
This cookie recipe was created at sea level. You may need to add ½ cup more oats and/or a bit more flour to create a workable dough that retains a domed shape when scooped. It is better if the dough errs on the side of being a little too dry, which results in a deliciously crisp cookie. Don’t be afraid to experiment with this forgiving recipe!
A Word About Cookie Scoop Sizes
Here is what these cookies look like when a small 1 Tbsp (1/2 oz) cookie scoop is used compared to a jumbo ¼ cup (2 oz or 4 Tbsp) cookie scoop. These came from the exact same batch of cookie dough.
Want to Take These Over the Top?
Want out of this world and into the stratosphere of amazing taste? Good enough to win a baking contest and make your batch the prize of the cookie exchange? Drizzle the tops of these with a simple Royal Icing for a divine cookie that will leave eaters speechless!
Easy Royal Icing Recipe
1 Egg white from a medium egg
½ tsp Cream of Tartar (this is a white powdered baking ingredient from the spice aisle)
1 Tbsp water
1 cup powdered sugar
Separate the egg white from a medium egg or the smallest egg you have on hand. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high for 6 to 8 minutes until the mixture appears glossy and peaks form when the beaters are lifted out. Spoon into a quart sized ziplock bag, seal, snip one bottom corner off and use the bag to pipe the icing in thin strips over the tops of cooled cookies. Let the icing set for 30 minutes before stacking or packaging cookies. Delicious on gingerbread men and spiced cookies! Will frost approximately 3 dozen cookies.
Variations
This cookie has endless variations. Add anything you want to make a unique cookie of your own. Every option we try seems to turn out tasting incredible!
Use this Portion of the Recipe as Your Base:
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup vegetable shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
2 cups flour
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
< Mix-ins Go Here at this Step! >
2 cups Rice Krispies cereal
Now Add Some Mix-Ins
Some of Our Favorites:
Cinnamon Raisin (add raisins instead of cinnamon chips & caramels)
Chocolate Cranberry Pecan (omit ground cinnamon, add 1 cup chocolate chips, ½ cup craisins and ½ cup pecan pieces)
Chocolate Turtle (omit ground cinnamon, add ½ bag chocolate chips/chunks and ½ cup pecan pieces with ½ bag caramel bits – an incredible cookie!)
Cinnamon Orange Breakfast Cookie (add craisins, zest of one orange and 1 Tbsp fresh squeezed juice from one orange; cinnamon chips are optional)
Chocolate Covered Raisin (omit ground cinnamon and add 1 or 2 heaping cups of chocolate covered raisins)
Candy Bar (omit ground cinnamon, add sliced chunks of your favorite candy bar with ½ cup chocolate chips to enhance chocolate flavor)
Reeses Overload (omit ground cinnamon, add Reeses mini peanutbutter cups and Reeses pieces)
Spiced Pecan (add your favorite sugared, spiced or candied pecan pieces with an optional ¼ tsp ground cloves)
If you come up with something mind-blowing, please let us know in the comments below – I would love to try your creation!
Share Some Love
This is my favorite cookie to take to new neighbors who appreciate a yummy treat while in the throes of the unboxing chaos. It is such a warm gesture, especially if you include a tag with your names and cell phone numbers where new neighbors could contact you. Teachers love receiving these, too. Okay, everyone likes getting cookies! Let me help make your gift-giving easy with a link to the 5×11 inch clear cellophane bags I use to package my jumbo cookies, the raffia ribbon I buy and some cute printable treat tags for multiple occasions. (I even left room at the bottom of some for you to write your name or a quick note!)
Download the printable treat tags here
I hope our Silver Homestead signature cinnamon caramel cookie recipe serves you well and that the treat tags are helpful for many years to come!
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