The holiday season is nearly here, and that means it's time for sugar cookies! Cookies of any variety are delicious, but that does not mean you have to stick with the basics. Think outside the box this year and whip up a batch of these caramel sugar cookies with salted caramel frosting. They're trendy, tasty, and attractive.

Ingredients (For the Cookies):

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 teaspoons caramel extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

To prepare the cookie dough, begin by placing the white sugar and butter in a mixing bowl. Whip until soft and fluffy—about 3 minutes. Then, add the egg and extracts. Beat for an additional minute until well combined.

Stir the cream of tartar and salt into the flour. Pour half of the flour into the sugar mixture, and mix well. Add the remaining flour mixture, and stir just until combined. Form the dough into a ball, and wrap it in plastic wrap. Place the dough ball in the fridge to cool for an hour or more.

Once the dough is chilled, flour a flat surface, and roll your dough out to 1/4 inch in thickness. Cut it into shapes using your preferred cookie cutters. Gather the unused dough, and re-roll it, cutting it once again. Repeat this process one final time, and then discard the final dough. (It will be too tough to make nice cookies at this point.)

Place the cookies on baking sheets, and bake for 10 - 12 minutes at 375 degrees F. Remove from the oven, let cool for 5 minutes, and then remove to complete the cooling process on wire cooling racks.

Ingredients (For the Frosting):

  • 1/2 stick salted butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup caramel syrup (the type you would put on ice cream)
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Combine the ingredients above, and mix them on low speed until the sugar is moist. Turn the speed up to high, and beat for 3 minutes or until very light and fluffy. 

Once the cookies are completely cool, spread the frosting onto the cookies. Decorate with sprinkles, sugar, or other holiday decorations. Then, let them sit on baking sheets for the frosting to firm up. After 3 or 4 hours, you should be able to stack them without them sticking.

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