Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

Last weekend I visited a ginourmous Wal-Mart in the big town of Post Falls, Idaho. There I proceeded to hunt down bags of Kraft Caramels, because where I live caramels are seasonal and have already vanished from store shelves.

After squealing with excitement upon finding said caramels, I quickly snatched up five bags and headed miles away to pay. Finally arriving, and feeling like I actually exercised racing through that ridiculously large store, I spotted a box of powdered apple cider on the end cap of the checkout. It was there my brain started to wake up.

Here’s the internal conversation with myself:
“Oooo apple cider. What could I do with apple cider? Why not make it into cookies? How the heck am I going into put it in cookies? (Stares at caramels). Well, I don’t know but I’m going to stuff caramels into it.”

That’s how these cookies were born. Created from total randomness from a crazy wife who makes cookies once a week for people she doesn’t even know. This however, does make my husband and his coworkers very happy, and so I will continue this nuttiness.

Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies


These cookies are best after sitting over a warm drink for a few minutes. The caramel softens up and they turn into warm caramel apple cider heaven. Print Recipe.

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, nearly melted
1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (7.4 ounce) box Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink Mix *Not sugar free*
2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 (14 ounce) bag Kraft Caramels

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line rimless cookie sheets with parchment paper. It has to be parchment this time.

2. In a stand mixer, cream together butter, sugar, salt, and all 10 packets of apple cider mix until smooth and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract, then mix in the baking soda and baking powder. Add the flour and mix until just combined.

3. With a standard (size 50) cookie scoop, scoop the dough scrapping off the excess as you go up the bowl. Flatten the dough slightly in your hand and place a caramel in the center. Work the dough around the caramel sealing well. Place the cookies two inches apart on the sheets.

4. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. After baking, carefully slide the parchment with the cookies onto the counter. Let cool until they are no longer soft but still slightly warm. Twist gently to remove, and cool the rest of the way upside down on the parchment or on a cooling rack.

Makes 51 cookies.

Notes: If cookies get too cool before you twist them off, freeze the whole sheet for a few minutes and they’ll come right off.

Recipe and photograph Copyright 2009 Laura Flowers.

Raspberry Sandwich Cookies with Lemon Cream

Crazy things like this happen when I get a hold of prepared sugar cookie dough.

Cookie Ingredients
2 (16.5 ounce) tubes refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1 (3 ounce) package Raspberry Jell-O

Lemon Cream Filling Ingredients
1 (2 pound) bag powdered sugar, reserve 1 cup in a separate bowl
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, well softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
Zest of 1 small to medium lemon
Juice of 1 small to medium lemon
2 Tablespoons milk, plus more if needed

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a mixer combine sugar cookie dough and the package of Jell-O. With a size 60 cookie scoop (small 2 teaspoon size), scoop the dough onto the parchment 2 inches apart. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes until lightly brown around the edges. Let sit on the cookie sheets for 4 minutes and move to a cooling rack and cool completely.

3. Mix all of the Lemon Cream Filling ingredients together with a mixer and beat slowly at first, then on medium high until fluffy. About 3 or 4 minutes. Add more milk if needed.

4. Pipe or spread the frosting mixture onto the underside of a cookie. Top with another cookie and repeat with the rest of the batch. Next, with a fine mesh strainer, sprinkle some of the reserved powdered sugar over the top of the cookies. Store in a covered container.

Makes about 32 sandwich cookies.

Notes: These cookies are even better after they set up overnight.

Recipe by Laura Flowers.

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Sneaky Snickers Cookies

Inside each one of these mildly peanut butter flavored cookies is a gooey surprise. I’ve attempted to perfect their texture by creaming the viscous peanut butter mixture in a food processor, before transferring to a stand mixer for the final addition of flour. If you don’t have a food processor you can do everything in a stand mixer, just make sure you spend some extra time creaming the butter, peanut butter, and sugars together.

This dough does require some chilling. I thought I’d warn you before you got started.

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
1 cup creamy peanut butter (Jiff)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon real vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 (11.5 ounce) bags Snickers Miniatures (Half a bag is for snacking during cooking making.)

Instructions

1. In a food processor, process together the butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla extract until fluffy. Scrap the bowl down as needed. Add the eggs and baking soda and pulse to combine.

2. Transfer to a stand mixer, add the flour and beat until just incorporated. Don’t over mix.

3. Wrap the dough in wax paper and store in a covered container. Refrigerate for 2 hours or more before baking.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover cookie sheets with parchment paper.

5. Unwrap 52 mini Snickers bars. Then with a standard cookie scoop (size 50), scoop the dough into your hand. Press the dough together and flatten. Place a Snickers bar in the center of the dough and push the dough around to seal.

6. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets and bake for about 12 minutes. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to cooling racks.

Notes:

1. If your Snickers are not super fresh, try smashing them down a little before pressing in the dough so a tell tale candy bar mark doesn't show through. Or even better you can very lightly press the cookies with the flat bottom of a glass right after they come out of the oven.

2. If your dough is too crumbly try spritzing your hands with a bit of water to moisten the dough as you roll each ball of dough.

Makes 52 cookies.

Recipe and photograph by Laura Flowers.

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