Snickerdoodle Dulce de Leche Cupcakes

Topped with Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting!

These Snickerdoodle Dulce de Leche Cupcakes are so flavorful and festive! I love snickerdoodle cookies, all that cinnamon and sugar flavor! Especially during the holidays! They just make the house smell so good!

This year, I wanted to change up snickerdoodle cookies in some way and I kept trying to add different flavors into the mix, trying to figure out what flavors work best with cinnamon and sugar. Then I thought maybe keep the traditional flavor but instead change the form. So I'm sure you've seen a lot of people making snickerdoodle flavored cupcakes as a fun way to change up this treat. This seemed like just the snickerdoodle twist I was searching for. But I still wanted to pair the cinnamon flavored cupcake with something even more festive, so I added caramel in 2 ways! That's where the salted caramel frosting and dulce de leche came in. And the combination is just incredible!! You have to try it!

Talk about a flavor decadent explosion, right!?! They may seem over the top but let me tell you, this recipe is actually full of shortcuts!

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

So let's talk about how to make these cupcakes! Here's one of the biggest shortcuts: boxed cake mix!! That's right. Sorry! but it's not even from scratch. I'm always looking for shortcuts to make things easier but not miss out on any flavor. So it is boxed white cake mix that is doctored up with some extra easy flavor (cinnamon + milk + eggs + butter + vanilla).

Dulce de Leche Filling

I filled these snickerdoodle cupcakes with a sweet, creamy dulce de leche filling. But it is an easy to make dulce de leche filling. All you need is one ingredient: just a can of sweetened condensed milk. Literally, just stick the entire can of sweetened condensed milk (peel the label off) into a pot of hot water and leave it on a low simmer for about 2 hours. Let it cool for another 1 hour and once you open that can of sweetened condensed milk, it will have been transformed into dulce de leche! It's pretty amazing!

Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

Last but not least, there is the salted caramel cream cheese frosting. With all of the sweetness of this cupcake, I thought a slightly tangy cream cheese frosting was needed. The frosting is just a classic cream cheese frosting with a touch of caramel sauce and a little salt. It pairs perfectly with the cinnamon spice from the cupcakes and the sweet, creamy dulce de leche!

You might also be interested in: Gajar Halwa Cupcakes, Pot of Gold Cupcakes, Citrus Sherbet Mini Cakes

📖 Recipe

Snickerdoodle Dulce de Leche Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting

Easy semi homemade cake mix Snickerdoodle cupcakes + filled with dulce de leche and topped with salted caramel cream cheese frosting.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 24 cupcakes

Calories 258 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

• 1 white cake mix
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup butter melted
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Dulce de Leche

• 1 12 oz can sweetened condensed milk

Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

• ½ cup butter softened
• 8 oz cream cheese softened
• 3 cups powdered sugar add ½ cup more if needed
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoon caramel sauce

Instructions

 

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

• Preheat oven 350°F. Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners, set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, add the cake mix, milk, eggs, melted butter, vanilla, and cinnamon. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until combined. Scrap down bowl and blend on medium speed until fully combined.
• Scoop batter into cupcake liners. About ¼ cup of batter in each liner or until about ⅔ full. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• Cool completely before filling and frosting.

Dulce de Leche Filling

• Peel label off can of sweetened condense milk.
• Fill a large pot with warm water, place the can of sweetened condensed milk (unopened) on its side into the pot of water. Make sure there is at least 2 inches of water above the can. (You may need a bigger pot if there is not enough water surrounding the can).
• Set the pot to high heat and let the water come a simmer. Reduce the heat once the water reaches a simmer. Simmer for 2 hours on low heat. Check on the water level every 30 minutes, add boiling water to ensure the water level is about the can.
• Remove the can from the water, using tongs. Set the unopened can aside and allow to cool for 1 hour (or up to 3 months in the refrigerator).
• Once ready to use and completely cooled, pop up can.

Salted Caramel Frosting

• Add the softened cream cheese and butter in a bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until fully combined.
• Add 2 cups of powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, caramel sauce and blend until smooth. Scrap down bowl and add additional ½ cup of powdered sugar to the bowl and blend until smooth. Check the consistency and taste, add ½ cup of powdered sugar to get your desired consistency and sweetness.
• Store in a the refrigerator for 10 minutes, while you gather and prep your cupcakes.

Fill & Frost the Cupcakes

• Use a small round cutter or spoon to create a small hole in the top of each cupcake, save the cupcake top you just removed to fill back in.
• Spoon the dulce de leche filling into the corner of a food storage plastic bag with cut ¼ inch off of the corner of the bag. Squeeze about 1 teaspoon of dulce de leche filling into each cupcake, gently place the cupcake top back to plug the hole.
• Using either an offset spatula or piping bag frosting the cupcakes. Top with additional caramel sauce or syrup and sea salt flakes if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 258kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 3gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 316mgPotassium: 96mgFiber: 1gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 412IUCalcium: 56mgIron: 1mg

Keyword snickerdoodle cupcakes, salted caramel frosting, salted caramel cream cheese frosting, dulce de leche,

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