Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

Yes, these seriously are as sinfully delish-ous tasting as they look. And, I can't believe i captured it on my Iphone...lol I'm getting better, but I sure wish I had time for a photography class, and the money for a good DSLR camera!

Here's the deal. These cookies are incredible. But they are only really really good warm. Either by dipping in hot tea/coffee or warming in the microwave. Once they cool off, they are really hard to bite into.

Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup softened butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 box (7.4 oz) Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink mix -not sugar free- all 10 packets (I found this in my grocery store near the hot chocolate mixes.)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 cups all purpose flour

1 bag Kraft Caramels (14 oz)

This recipe I found again, on Pinterest. Scrambled Henfruit and she does a great job of pictures and directions. I didn't make any changes to her original recipe or directions. I followed it exactly. 

So I'll post the directions first, and then the pics. This should make it easier to understand, and to follow. They are a bit time consuming, but totally worth the effort. And sooo delish. 

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350° F. Line cookie sheets with parchment. (You really need the parchment!)
• In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.
• With your mixer (or an energetic spoon) cream together butter, sugar, salt and all 10 packages of apple cider drink mix powder, until light and fluffy.
• Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix well.
• Gradually add flour mixture to butter/egg mixture. Mix until just combined.
• Refrigerate for about an hour. (If you're really impatient you don't have to do this, but it makes it so much easier to work with.)
• When you are ready to bake, unwrap your caramels. 
• Scoop out cookie dough ball about the size of a walnut. (I used a rounded cookie scoop-full. My scoop holds about a Tablespoon.)
• Flatten the ball of dough slightly in the palm of your hand. Press the unwrapped caramel into the center of your dough and seal the dough around it, covering it completely. Place on parchment covered cookie sheets 2 inches apart.
• Bake 12-14 minutes, or until very lightly browned around the edges. Please don't over-bake! Once the cookies are done, slide the parchment off of the baking sheet right out onto the counter. Allow cookies to partially cool on the parchment. When cookies are cool enough to be firm but still slightly warm, carefully twist off of parchment and allow to finish cooling upside down (either on the parchment or on a rack.) If you forget about them and they cool too much and stick to your parchment, put them into the freezer for a few minutes and they'll pop right off.
• Yield: about 4 dozen, depending on how large you make your cookies (or how many caramels have been snitched out of your bag before you begin.) Store in an airtight container.

Look! It's a hot apple cider massacre! LOL It just looked funny on the counter, so I took a picture :) 

Flattened cookie dough, and then the wrapping process for the cookies. It's really easy if you don't overthink it and the dough wraps easily around the caramels. It's easier though to work the dough if it's a little chilled, as opposed to warm. If it's warm, it tends to stick to whatever surface you're working on, either our hands or the cutting board. 

And here they are baked. yummy. delish. absolutely delectable. yeah. I went there. 

Delectable. enjoy the recipe, since i know you're going to run right out 

and get caramels and apple cider. 

Right now is the perfect time of year for 

Caramel, and Apple Cider. 

So go ahead. Indulge. 

You have my permission. 

Yes, it's totally worth it. Your family will thank you. 

They might even come here, and thank me :)

But whatever you do, do not precariously prop your beautifully seasoned pizza stone in the dish drain, 

where it is sure to take a slow motion drop to the floor and break into 4 different pieces. 

Linking up here!