Salted Caramel Cheesecake Cookie (Crumbl Copycat)
These Salted Caramel Cheesecake Cookies combine soft graham cracker dough rolled in extra crumbs, baked into large, chewy cookies, and topped with creamy cheesecake frosting and salted caramel drizzle. The cookies have a tender texture blended with the sweet and salty contrast of toppings, making them ideal when you want a rich dessert that balances buttery sweetness and a hint of salt. Their giant size is similar to Crumbl's style, perfect for sharing or indulging.
Ingredients
- 2 ticks butter 1 cup, real butter, room temperature
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar I use cane sugar, white sugar works too
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar reduce to ⅓ cup for high altitude (dark should should work too)
- 2 large egg room temperature, if you forget to take out, sit in warm (not hot) water for 5 minutes
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour add ¼ cup for high altitude, be sure to spoon and level or weigh your flour, unbleached
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs about 12 sheets of grahams
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup graham cracker crumbs for rolling the cookie dough in
Cheesecake Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened, room temp
- 4 tablespoons butter room temperature (½ stick)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ - 3 cups powdered sugar Use even less if a less sweet frosting is desired.
Toppings
- 1/3 cup caramel sauce to drizzle on top of the cookies, salted
- sea salt for sprinkling on top, flaky
Instructions
Graham Cracker Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/177° C (375°/190°C F for high altitude) and prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes on medium-high speed.
- Add the eggs, mixing for one minute, and scrape the sides if needed. Add vanilla, and mix until combined.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl. With the mixer on low, alternately add the flour mixture and graham cracker crumbs (1 1/2 cups, 2 cups for high altitude). Mix until just combined, scraping sides and bottom if needed. Do not overmix.
- Using a large (½ cup) cookie scoop, scoop up a heaping amount of cookie dough, shape it into a ball with your hands, and roll in graham cracker crumbs, lay our prepared baking sheet, repeat with the rest of the dough for 12 giant Crumbl sized cookies. See notes for how to make mini Crumbl cookies.
- Max of 6 on each baking sheet. Using the bottom of a measuring cup, gently flatten each dough ball into a hockey puck shape. Bake for 11-13 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE, they should be dull looking on top but still look a little underdone. They will continue baking as they sit on the baking sheet.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on baking sheets while making the frosting. Transfer to cooling racks after about 20 minutes.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a medium bowl, with a hand mixer or using a stand mixer; beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
- With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar gradually until thoroughly combined, then increase the speed to medium-high until light, creamy and fluffy.
- Scoop cream cheese frosting into a gallon-size baggie or large piping bag and snip off 1/2-3/4 inch of the corner tip or use a piping tip (I like this Wilton Starter Set) and pipe frosting onto cooled cookies in a swirl pattern. Or, if preferred, use a small cookie scoop and spread the frosting on.
- Pour a little of the caramel sauce into a small ziplock baggie, seal, and then snip off a tiny tip of the corner. Drizzle the caramel over each cookie and sprinkle it with flaky sea salt. I encourage you to try sea salt on your cookies; it adds incredible flavor! Like on my pan-banging chocolate chip cookies.
Notes
- For smaller cookies, use a 2 tablespoon scoop, roll in graham cracker crumbs, flatten slightly, and bake 7-8 minutes.
- For high altitude baking, increase flour and graham cracker crumbs, reduce brown sugar, and raise oven temperature as specified.
- Store unfrosted cookies in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days; frost and refrigerate for longer storage.
- Freeze frosted cookies on a tray one hour, then layer with parchment and freeze up to 2 months; thaw overnight in fridge.
- Make-ahead by baking and cooling cookies before frosting; freeze unfrosted or frosted separately for convenience.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 36 servings (12 Crumbl size cookies, 36 Mini Crumbl)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 197
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1serving (¼ large cookie, or one mini cookie) | |
| Calories | 197kcal | 10% |
| Carbohydrates | 27g | 9% |
| Protein | 2g | 4% |
| Fat | 9g | 14% |
| Saturated Fat | 5g | 25% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.4g | 2% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Trans Fat | 0.3g | 15% |
| Cholesterol | 34mg | 11% |
| Sodium | 173mg | 7% |
| Potassium | 38mg | 1% |
| Fiber | 0.4g | 2% |
| Sugar | 17g | 34% |
| Vitamin A | 297IU | 6% |
| Vitamin C | 0.01mg | 0% |
| Calcium | 25mg | 3% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.