Snickerdoodle Cookies with Salted Caramel

Ingredients:

Cookie

• 2 and 1/4 cups premium flour
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 0.5 tsp coarse salt
• 1 and 1/4 cups sugar
• 165g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 4 tsp ground cinnamon

Salted caramel filling

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1.5 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream, room temperature
• 1/8 teaspoon coarse salt
• Sea salt flakes, for sprinkling

Preparation:

1. Bake some cookies:
   
   Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, and coarse salt until evenly distributed. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and eggs. Add the flour mixture and stir with a spoon to form a dough.
2. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Using a 15 ml ice cream scoop or tablespoon, scoop the batter into 30 1-inch (2.5 cm) balls. Roll each ball in the cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat completely, then place them 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheets.
3. Using the end of a wooden spoon or your index finger, make a deep well in the center of each dough ball. Refrigerate the baking sheets for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 200°C.
   
   
   When measuring flour, spoon it into a dry measuring cup and remove any excess. Scooping flour directly from the bag with a measuring cup will compact it, resulting in dry baked goods.
5. Bake the cookies, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until lightly golden brown on the bottom, about 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 1 minute, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Prepare the salted caramel filling:
   
   Place the sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar becomes liquid and dark amber. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter until smooth. Add the cream and coarse salt and stir until fully incorporated.
7. Fill the well of each cookie with hot caramel and sprinkle with sea salt. Let the caramel cool for 30 minutes to set before serving.