Salted Caramel Cheesecake Cookie (Crumbl Copycat)

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Who needs the Crumbl bakery when you can whip up their best creation at home? This Salted Caramel Cheesecake Cookie copycat recipe is a game-changer! Imagine sinking your teeth into a soft, chewy graham cracker cookie with a fluffy cream cheese frosting, a gooey salted caramel drizzle, and a sprinkle of sea salt. It’s pure cookie heaven! Need I say more?

Thanks to its weekly rotating menu, the list of new flavors at Crumbl Cookies is endless! So many soft, warm, and giant cookies to choose from! Fortunately, many of their recipes can be recreated at home for a fraction of the cost and in less time than it takes to drive there. This Salted Caramel Cheesecake cookie will knock your socks off!

I enjoy giving precise details in my recipe posts to lead my readers through any questions. If you’re just here for the printable recipe, feel free to click “Jump to Recipe” right under the title of this post, and you’ll head straight there!

Simple Ingredients for Salted Caramel Cheesecake Cookies

Ingredients, directions and nutritional information in the printable recipe card at the end of the post.

• Butter | Real butter makes all the difference in flavor and texture in your baking. Try European* butter for an extra buttery flavor and fluffy texture, easily found at your grocery store.
• Sugar | This recipe will need granulated and brown sugar, giving it a distinctive, chewy texture. I use organic, all-natural cane sugar.
• Eggs | I use room temperature large eggs in my baking. If you forget, submerge the eggs in warm tap water and allow them to sit for 5 minutes.
• Vanilla Extract | Use the good stuff! If you’ve never made your own, try my vanilla extract recipe.
• All-Purpose Flour | I use unbleached organic all-purpose flour in my baking; I like the texture it yields.
• Graham Crackers | I used Annie’s Organic Graham Crackers; use your favorite brand; gluten-free will also work. You will need enough for the recipe and for rolling the cookie dough.
• Cream Cheese Frosting  | Additional (real) butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and plain cream cheese, softened and at room temperature.
• Caramel Sauce | Use a quality storebought salted caramel sauce (my favorite), or go one step above and make my Salted Caramel Bourbon Sauce. Oh my! You may also use caramel dip, it will be a bit more firm and not spread.
• Flaky Sea Salt | I love fleur de sel, or Maldon’s flaky sea salt, just the right zing! Coarse sea salt may be subbed.

Let’s Make This Crumbl Copycat Recipe

Step 1 | Prep Ingredients

Preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C and prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Remove ingredients from the fridge, allow them to come to room temperature, and measure out dry ingredients.

Crush graham crackers into a fine crumb using a food processor (my favorite way) or by placing them in a thick baggie and using a rolling pin to crush the crackers into fine crumbs.

Step 2 | Making the Crumbl Graham Cracker Cookies

In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cream for 2-4 minutes on medium speed, scrape sides of the bowl once until light, fluffy and creamy. I use all-natural cane sugar in my baking which is a bit more coarse, so I always cream on the longer side.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing for one minute. After each addition, add in vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder in a bowl. Add the flour mixture, 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix until just combined, scraping sides and bottom if needed.

Step 3 | Forming Giant Cookie Dough Balls

You may choose to make giant Crumbl cookie-sized Salted Caramel cookies or smaller ones like Mini Crumbl cookies – just be sure to adjust the scoop size and baking times, notes in the recipe card.

To make similar-sized Crumbl cookies, use a large cookie scoop (½ cup, #8) and scoop a heaping scoop of cookie dough, roll quickly into a smooth ball with your hands, and roll cookie dough ball coating in bowl of graham cracker crumbs. Place six large cookie dough balls on each parchment-lined cookie sheet several inches apart.

Using the bottom of a flat measuring cup, gently press down, flattening the cookie dough into a hockey puck shape. It should still be about 1/2 inch thick. Do not skip this step. Bake for 11-13 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE; they should look dull on top but slightly underdone. They will continue baking as they sit on the baking sheet. 

Remove from the oven and let the cookies completely cool on baking sheets while making the frosting.

Step 4 | Make the Cream Cheese Frosting and Frost Cookies

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.

For smaller cookies, use a medium cookie scoop (2 tablespoons, #40) and scoop cookies as described above; you should be able to fit 9-12 on your baking sheet. Don’t forget to roll them in graham cracker crumbs and flatten them slightly. Bake for 7-8 minutes, cool for 2 minutes on a baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Frost, as directed above.

High Altitude Crumbl Cookie Adjustments

• Increase flour by 2 ¾ cups
• Increase graham cracker crumbs to 2 cups
• Decrease brown sugar to ⅓ cup
• Increase oven heat to 375°F (190°C) and bake on the middle rack, checking cookies on the lower side of the suggested time.

These cookies have been tested at high altitude (5280 feet) as well as near sea level!

Why are my cookies flat?

There are numerous factors that contribute to flat cookies, and while flat cookies are still delicious, they are chewy and soft, typically that’s not the outcome you are looking for. Keep these tips in mind when baking cookies.

Ingredient Issues

1. Butter was too soft – yes, there is such a thing, especially on a hot day or when you soften your butter near a stovetop. If this happened in your first batch of dough, stop the process, and rescue the rest by chilling your cookie dough for about 30-60 minutes to firm the butter back up.
2. Creaming the Butter and Sugar too long – Overcreaming the butter and sugar can actually warm the butter back up. Cream just until the sugar granules aren’t obvious.
3. You didn’t chill the cookie dough – In some recipes chilling the cookie dough is necessary to form the right cookie, like in my Scotch shortbread cookies. We don’t need to chill this graham cracker cookie recipe unless your butter was too soft.
4. Not enough flour – In America, we tend to dip our measuring cups into the flour which results in inaccurate measurements. Usually, we add too much flour, but in this case, it might mean you didn’t add enough.
5. Granulated Sugar may also be the culprit, if you added more than necessary that could be the reason your cookies baked flat.
6. Baking Soda or Baking Powder Expired – Be sure to check the expiration dates on your raising agents, this is a common reason.

Equipment Issues

1. Your Oven is Too Hot or Cold – This is the top problem, most ovens are off by 25-50 degrees! Mine is consistently cool by 25 degrees, use an oven thermometer to check the temperature of your oven.
2. Hot Cookie Sheets – Another common mistake, I have several baking sheets so that when one comes out of the oven, I don’t need it again until it has cooled. Hot trays will begin the baking process (i.e. melting the butter) before they are even in the oven. To cool your trays quickly, run them under cold water, dry and use them.
3. Greasing Cookie Sheets or Unlined – Baking directly on a greased cookie sheet will cause your cookies to flatten, they have nothing to hold on to when the heat hits them. Use parchment paper or use a Silpat or similar silicone mat.

Love caramel? Try my Browned Butter Sugar Cookie Bars with Salted Caramel Frosting, my Easy Caramel Apple Dump Cake or my Fresh Peach Dump Cake.

Gluten-Free Crumbl Cookies

YES! Make Gluten-Free Crumbl cookies, just like my Gluten-Free chewy chocolate chip cookies! Substitute the all-purpose flour with half almond flour and half Gluten-Free Cup for Cup All-Purpose Flour, and also use Gluten-Free Graham crackers.

Variations

• Sandwich Cookies | Make them into smaller cookies, and instead of putting the frosting on top, spread the frosting between two cooled cookies and enjoy! Like these Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies!
• Skip the Frosting | Think they are perfect without the frosting? I agree; so good! As they come out of the oven, sprinkle them with flaky sea salt, cool them, and dunk them with a tall glass of cold milk.
• Mini Crumbl Cookies | Use a medium cookie scoop to make mini cookies, just like Crumbl mini cookies! Reduce baking time to 6-7 minutes.
• Add-Ins | Make your cookie unique by adding milk chocolate chips or peanut butter chips, or even some flaky coconut.

Frequently Asked Questions

Best Way to Store Crumbl Cookies

• Fridge – These cookies will be fine stored in an airtight container on the counter for 2-3 days. For extended storage, place them in a single layer in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Don’t stack frosted cookies if you don’t want them smooshed! Or place in the refrigerator, one layer at a time, refrigerate until the frosting is firm, then add a sheet of waxed paper, layer the next set of cookies, etc.
• If you like to eat your cookie chilled, go for it, I like eating mine right out of the fridge! But room temperature is also delicious, so pull them out and let them sit on the counter for 15 minutes.
• Freeze – The answer to can I freeze Crumbl cookies is, YES! These cookies freeze well and will stay fresher longer, extending their shelf life. To freeze frosted cookies, place them on a flat baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour or until solid. Transfer them into an airtight container, separate the layers with parchment or waxed paper, and freeze for up to 2-3 months. To thaw, place them in a single layer on a tray or cookie sheet and thaw overnight in the fridge or on the counter for an hour.
• Make-Ahead Salted Caramel Crumbl Cookies – Make and cool cookies, wait to frost them, and place them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Frosting may also be; frozen; thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

Best Main Dishes to Serve with Crumbl Cookies

One cannot live on cookies alone, so make it a meal; serve these sweet and salty cookies after an amazing dinner.

Best Drinks to Serve with Salted Caramel Cheesecake Cookies

For the kids, serve something fun and warm, like this white hot chocolate or my decadent hot chocolate for two. And for the adults, serve these warming drinks below.

Some of our Favorite Cookies

• Copycat Crumbl Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies are so famous, everyone raves about them!
• Crumbl Sugar Cookies (a chilled, pink sugar cookie), another winner from the classic Crumbl menu
• Best Soft Oreo Crumbl Cookies
• Hot Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies
• Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies

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