These Caramel Latte Cookies are a dream come true for any coffee lover. They are soft and chewy espresso cookies topped with a warm caramel drizzle and a sprinkle of espresso sugar that gives them that signature latte flavor in every bite.
They come together in around 30 minutes with simple ingredients and look so impressive on a cookie plate. Make them for a holiday cookie tray, a cozy night in, or whenever you need a little coffee and sugar fix! I love serving these with a homemade latte or iced shaken espresso.
Rich Dessert
Nostalgic FLavor
Quick Look: Caramel Latte Cookies
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 20 minutes
- 👩🍳 Cook Time: 12 minutes
- 🕖 Total Time: 32 minutes
- 🍪 Servings: 12 servings of 1 cookie per serving
- ⚡️ Calories: 266 calories per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- 🔥 Cooking Method: Bake in oven at 350F
- 🛒 Main Ingredients: Instant espresso powder, caramel candies, sugar, flour
- ⭐️ Difficulty: Medium
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick to make – Get your coffee and sugar fix in just about 30 minutes with this simple caramel latte cookie recipe.
- Impressive treat for gatherings – Even with simple ingredients and easy steps, these caramel latte cookies are beautiful and are sure to impress your guests!
- Freezer friendly – You can freeze these delicious cookies to have on hand when you need a little pick-me-up!
Looking for another fun sweet treat? Try these s’mores cookies.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s a quick look at the ingredients you need to make these caramel latte cookies. For a full list of ingredients and amounts please head to the full recipe.
- Caramel candies – the star of the show with this sweet treat
- Instant espresso powder – This is not the same as regular ground coffee. It is very finely ground and dissolves completely into the dough, giving the cookies a bold coffee flavor without any gritty texture. It can be found in the coffee aisle at most grocery stores or online. In a pinch, instant coffee granules work, but use a little more since the flavor is milder.
- Light brown sugar – brown sugar sweetens your cookies and helps create the chewy texture
- Butter-make sure to use salted butter and let it soften before adding to the mix
- Flour – to make these gluten free, you can substitute your favorite one to one gluten free flour
- Sugar – regular granulated sugar helps sweeten both the cookies and the topping
Want to enjoy these with a caramel latte? Whip up a batch of this caramel brulee latte syrup.
How to make Caramel Latte Cookies
Step 1: Mix butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar together. Add egg, espresso powder and vanilla to the bowl and mix again.
Step 2: Pour all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into the bowl and mix again until dough has formed.
Step 3: Scoop out 3 tbsp of batter until you have 12 scoops. Place 6 scoops on each baking sheet and roll each into a round ball and bake.
Step 4: Once the cookies have cooled for about 20 minutes, make caramel topping.
When making the topping, the soft caramel candies should be microwaved in short 30-second bursts and stirred between each interval. Do not overheat or the caramel will seize up and get too thick to spread. Work quickly to spread the caramel on each cookie while it is still warm because it will harden as it cools.
For another coffee-flavor cookie, try these chocolate chip mocha cookies.
Mad’s Expert Tips for the Best Caramel Latte Cookies 🍪
- Do not overbake. Pull the cookies out at 12 minutes even if they look slightly underdone in the center. They will firm up as they cool on the baking sheet. Overbaked cookies will be dry and lose that soft chewy center.
- Work quickly with the caramel topping. The melted caramel sets fast as it cools. Spread it on one cookie at a time and sprinkle the espresso sugar on top right away before it hardens.
- Let the cookies cool before topping. The cookies need to cool for about 20 minutes before you add the caramel. If they are too warm the caramel will sink in instead of sitting on top.
- Use softened butter, not melted. Softened room temperature butter creams properly with the sugar and gives the cookies a better texture and rise. Melted butter will make the cookies spread too flat.
For another chewy cookie, try these almond flour chocolate chip cookies.
Recipe FAQs
What is instant espresso powder?
Instant espresso powder is a very finely ground, concentrated coffee product that dissolves completely into baked goods. It gives cookies, cakes, and brownies a bold coffee flavor without any gritty texture. It is different from regular ground coffee and is found in the coffee or baking aisle at most stores.
Can I use instant coffee instead of espresso powder?
Can I use instant coffee instead of espresso powder?
Yes, instant coffee granules work as a substitute. Use about 3 tablespoons since instant coffee has a milder flavor than espresso powder. Make sure it is instant coffee, not regular ground coffee.
Storage and freezing
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Place a piece of parchment paper between layers so the caramel topping does not stick together.
You can freeze the cookies (without the caramel topping) for up to 2 months. Thaw and then add the topping.
Other Favorite Cookie Recipes
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
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Recipe
Caramel Latte Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie Ingredients
- 1 stick salted butter – softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar – packed
- 1 egg – room temperature
- 2 tbsp instant espresso powder
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour – scoop and level measured
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
Topping Ingredients
- 12 soft caramel candies
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp instant espresso powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar into a mixing bowl. Mix with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer until evenly combined. Add egg, espresso powder and vanilla to the bowl and mix again.
- Pour all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into the bowl and mix again until an evenly combined dough has formed.
- Scoop out 3 tbsp of batter until you have 12 scoops. Place 6 scoops on each baking sheet and roll each into a round ball. Bake cookies in the oven at 350F for 12 minutes.
- The cookies spread a bit while baking so I like to scoot the edges in with a large mug, cookie cutter or even the back of a butter knife while they are still warm from the oven. Cool on the baking sheet.
- Once the cookies have cooled for about 20 minutes, open the soft caramel caramel candies and place into a heat safe bowl with the heavy cream. Microwave at 30 second intervals until the caramel is completely melted – stirring between each interval. Mix 1 tsp of espresso powder in with 2 tbsp of granulated sugar and set aside.
- Spread a layer of caramel over one cookie at a time and sprinkle the sugar and espresso powder mixture over the caramel while its still warm. Repeat this process until you have covered each of the cookies.
Recipe Notes
Work quickly with the caramel topping. The melted caramel sets fast as it cools. Spread it on one cookie at a time and sprinkle the espresso sugar on top right away before it hardens.
Let the cookies cool before topping. The cookies need to cool for about 20 minutes before you add the caramel. If they are too warm the caramel will sink in instead of sitting on top.
Use softened butter, not melted. Softened room temperature butter creams properly with the sugar and gives the cookies a better texture and rise. Melted butter will make the cookies spread too flat.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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