If you love the rich, creamy, caramel and toffee notes of dulce de leche, you are going to be OBSESSED with these Soft Dulce de Leche Cookies. The caramelized condensed milk is both in the cookie dough and spread on top, for indulgent flavor and the absolute best textures!
Think: a soft, fluffy, buttery cookie topped with a generous spread of dulce de leche all finished with salt to bring out the depth of flavor in the iconic confection. Just 7 ingredients, one bowl, no chilling time is all you need for one of my favorite cookie recipes!
As a busy mom who loves to bake, I’ve made it my mission to perfect cookie recipes that bring the wow flavor with the least amount of effort, and this one falls into that category.
Soft Dulce de Leche Cookies Ingredient Highlights and Testing Process
We’re gonna be adding dulce de leche straight into the dough, and dolloping some right on top so with every bite, the first thing you sink your teeth into is creamy dulce de leche!
It usually comes in a 13.4 ounce can, which will give you PLENTY- you’ll likely have some leftover. I usually just scoop any extra out of the can and transfer it to an airtight container where it will last for about 2-3 weeks.
I like to use unsalted butter and add my own salt, but you can omit the added salt and use salted butter. Make sure it’s softened. For help, see How to Quickly and Easily Soften Butter.
Usually, the suggestion of finishing the cookies off with sea salt is optional, but for these, the salt on top is necessary. It really make a huge difference in bringing out the flavor of the dulce de leche.
You can use any salt to sprinkle on top, but if you have flaky sea salt, I highly recommend it!
Otherwise, all of the ingredients are pretty straight forward.
I tested these cookies with the dulce de leche swirled into the dough, as thumbprint cookies with a dollop of dulce de leche in the center, and with little heath bar bits (which were so good but too similar to my Butter Crunch Cookies, so i pivoted!).
While all were pretty good, ultimately, my husband and I decided that this version of the soft cookie with the dulce de leche spread on top was the winner by a landslide! It brings the most flavor and the best, decadent textures.
Cookies Made with Dulce de Leche Tips and Tricks
How to Make Soft Dulce de Leche Cookies
Start by creaming the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract together with a hand mixer on high until light and airy. Add the dulce de leche and beat until smooth and well-combined.
Add the dry ingredients and use the hand mixer again to bring together. It will likely be a very crumbly dough. Finish mixing it with a rubber spatula, pushing and folding until you’re left with a thick dough.
Use a small cookie scoop or 1 tablespoon of dough to form your cookies and add to a lined sheet. They don’t spread much at all, so while you do want some space between each cookie, you can get away with baking them all on one large sheet.
Bake them on the top rack and cool them before spreading a generous amount of dulce de leche on top and sprinkling them with seas salt.
How to Store Dulce de Leche Cookies
Store them in an airtight container where they will last for 2 weeks in the refrigerator or for a few days at room temperature.
You can also freeze the baked cookies for up to 2 months. It’s best not to stack them, as the dulce de leche on top will smear and get sticky. But, if you have to stack them, place a piece of wax paper in between layers.
Pro tip: If you want your cookies to remain soft and chewy, store them with a piece of bread (it’s the perfect use for that end piece!). The bread actually creates a humid environment and keeps your cookies moist.
You can also freeze the dough to bake them fresh. Form your cookies and place them in a freezer-safe bag.
Add 1-2 minutes to the baking time and bake them right out of the freezer. Keep some dulce de leche on hand to spread on top after baking.
Soft and Buttery Dolce de Leche Cookies
SAVE RECIPE TO COLLECTION PIN PRINT RATEEquipment
- Small Cookie Scoop optional
- Reusable Baking Mat optional
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup light brown sugar (tightly packed)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup dulce de leche (+ more to spread on top – 1 (13.4 oz) can is plenty!)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt (+ more to sprinkle on top)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a reusable baking mat.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Use a hand mixer to beat and cream together until smooth and aerated (about 2-3 minutes).½ cup unsalted butter, softened, ¼ cup light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the dulce de leche and mix again to combine.¼ cup dulce de leche
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and beat just until it starts to form a thick, crumbly dough. Then, use a rubber spatula to press and fold it together into a smooth dough.1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Use a small cookie scoop or 1 tablespoon of dough to form your cookies. Leave a small amount of space in between the cookies, but they don't spread much. I usually bake all 14 cookies together on a large baking sheet.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes, then allow to cool completely before using the back of a spoon to spread a dollop of dulce de leche onto each cookie. Sprinkle with a little extra salt (use flaky sea salt if you have it!) and enjoy!
Pro Tips
- The dough is very thick and crumbly. I can usually bring it together easily with a rubber spatula, but if you’re having trouble, you can use your hands!
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