Salted Caramel Shortbread Cookies (Inspired by Charm)

These Salted Caramel Shortbread Cookies bring together some of my favorite flavors and make the perfect sweet treat for fall.

Well, dear friends, it's a special day here on Inspired by Charm! We are kicking off another Fall Cookie Week with these Salted Caramel Shortbread Cookies!

If you're new around these parts, Fall Cookie Week (FCW) started back in 2012 when I baked a selection of cookies for a Fall Open House that I was hosting at the Gift Shop in my Bed and Breakfast. Although I chose to close the B&B in 2013, the FCW tradition is still going strong on IBC.

Several years ago, I asked Julie Blanner, who is a fellow blogger and one of my close friends, to join in on the FCW fun. Julie is such a powerhouse of talent, and I couldn't be more excited to again share this wonderful week of cookie baking with her. You can find her blog here. I will also be linking up her cookie-of-the-day at the end of each of my posts, so you won't miss a thing. Over the course of the week, we will be posting a total of 10 fabulously fall and decadently delicious cookie recipes. *loosens belt buckle*

If Fall Cookie Week is new to you, you can catch up below. I've linked every year's FCW recipes, beginning with 2012. (Please forgive the quality of the 2012 recipes and photos. I was just a beginning blogger back then. I hope to get those posts updated in the future!)

Fall Cookie Week Recipes:

You can also click here if you want to see all the FCW cookie recipes at once.

Okay, now that the FCW introductions and history have been taken care of, are you ready to talk about these Salted Carmel Shortbread Cookies?

When I'm planning a Fall Cookie Week, I think about the big fall flavors I love - pumpkin, apple, cinnamon, salted caramel, and so on. Although I can't hit every one of the flavors in just five recipes, I decided that salted caramel was a must and that these shortbread cookies would be the ideal lead-off for this year's FCW.

How to Make Salted Caramel Shortbread Cookies:

These cookies are simple to make. They start with a basic shortbread cookie recipe.

Once the cookies are baked, they are topped with melted caramel. This can get a bit sticky, so it’s important to move quickly with this part of the recipe. A small ice cream scoop worked best for me.

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Once the caramel is on, sprinkle it with flake sea salt. My recommendation: Maldon Flake Sea Salt. It's THE BEST. (Don't even think about using table salt or kosher salt.)

The final step is to drizzle the cookies with melted semi-sweet chocolate.

When the chocolate is set, your cookies are complete and ready for a taste test. (If you're like me, you won't be able to wait that long to try one.)

The crisp shortbread, gooey caramel, drizzle of chocolate, and sprinkle of flake sea salt make this cookie a winner!

Salted Caramel Shortbread Cookies:

If you like this caramel recipe, you'll love these:

Now that I’ve primed your palate, be sure to head on over to Julie Blanner's blog and check out her first cookie of FCW 2018. Today she's whipped up Cinnamon Sugar Cookies, and boy do they look delish!

Happy Fall Baking! And Happy Fall Cookie Week!

Salted Caramel Shortbread Cookies

These Salted Caramel Shortbread Cookies bring together some of my favorite flavors and make the perfect sweet treat for fall.

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (softened)
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Topping:

2 bags (13 oz each) caramels (unwrapped)
4 tablespoons milk
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (chopped)
1 tablespoon butter
3 teaspoons flake sea salt

Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl with your electric mixer on high, beat the butter until creamy. Then beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer to low and beat in the flour until just incorporated.
Divide the dough into two parts. Place one half of the dough between two sheets of wax paper and roll it until it’s 1/4-inch thick. Then use a 2 1/2-inch-diameter round cookie cutter to cut the dough. Place the cut-outs on an ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat this process with the remaining half of the dough. (You can reform excess dough, roll it out, and cut it again until all the dough is used.)
Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes or until set and just barely starting to brown. Transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
While the cookies cool: In a microwave safe bowl, melt the unwrapped caramels and milk on high for 2-3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until the caramels are melted and the mixture is smooth.
Add1-2 teaspoons of the caramel mixture to each cookie. Then sprinkle the cookies with flake sea salt.
Finally, in another microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate and butter on high for 1-2 minutes until it is smooth. Stir every 30 seconds. Drizzle the melted chocolate mixture over the cookies. Let the cookies cool until the chocolate sets.
Store the cookies in an airtight container.

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