Fall in a Cookie

Even though fall is technically upon us as of Saturday it does not feel like it where we are living. It is forecasted to be in the 90s all week! So, I decided to bring some fall into our lives in the form of cookies. Who remembers these carmel apple pops from childhood?!

Well, these cookies taste just like them!! Basically, like fall in a cookie!

The recipe was originally from The Cooking Photographer, but I have seen it on a a few other blogs and I found the recipe on Pinterest. (You can follow my boards here)

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 box (10 packets) 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 bag (around 14 ounces) soft caramels

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line rimless cookie sheets with parchment paper. It has to be parchment this time, otherwise the carmel will stick to the cookie sheet and it will be a pain to clean!

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 medium 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. If your caramels are the rectangular kind rather than the squares mold the caramels into more of a round/square shape.  Work the dough around the caramel sealing well. Place the cookies two inches apart on the sheets.

4. Bake 13 to 16 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.

*I used all 10 packets of apple cider and the full cup of sugar and it was a little sweet for me. Next time I would maybe cut back the sugar or the number of cider packets.

When you eat these cookies it is basically a requirement that you heat them up in some way to get the caramel all gooey and yummy inside. Either set them over a cup of hot tea or microwave them for around 10 seconds for one cookie. SO GOOD!

In conclusion, I would recommend going to the grocery store ASAP to pick up apple cider mix and caramels to make these and enjoy the taste of fall in a cookie.