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These cookies are dangerously good, this is your warning!
As you know for the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel I don't hold back from any caramel recipe. I've done a caramel cookie with snickers here, but this is a whole different kind of treat.
Gooey
Soft
Crunchy
& Sweet
Before you begin, consider what kind of caramel you are using! I used real, salted caramel which cannot be baked for the entire length of the prescribed recipe. If you wanted to add caramel to the dough and then bake it, you would need to use a Kraft caramel square.
I learned this because I initially made the cookies by putting a couple of caramel bits on the top of the dough and when you scroll down you will see what happened. There is a perfected way of working with real caramel below too!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Chill Time: 1 hour
Bake Time: 10-12 minutes
Yields: 24 Cookies
Ingredients
1 large egg, at room temperature
3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans
14 wrapped real caramel squares, cut into 4 pieces
I began with that tedious little task of unwrapping and quartering each caramel square. Put them into a small bowl and set them aside on the counter to rest.
In your stand mixer with the paddle attachment add in 3/4 cup unsalted butter, 3/4 cup light brown sugar, and 1/4 cup granulated sugar.
Beat those three ingredients together on medium-high until it is light and fluffy.
Crack in the egg, add in 3 tsps pure vanilla extract, and mix that together until it is all thoroughly combined.
In a separate large bowl we are going to combine our dry ingredients, beginning with 2 cups flour and 2 tsps cornstarch.
Then sprinkle in 1 tsp baking soda.
Add 1/2 tsp salt to the flour mixture.
And the ingredient that gives this a little pop, 1 tsp cinnamon.
Whisk all of that together and slowly add this in to the wet ingredients with the stand mixer on medium until it is thoroughly combined. You may have to use a silicone spatula to scrape the sides of the mixing bowl.
Now for those tasty little additions, toss in 1 cup of chocolate chips.
And while you're at it, throw in 1/2 cup chopped pecans. How do YOU say pecan?
pee-KAHN
pick-AHN
PEE-can
PEE-kahn.
Let me know your vote in the comments!
Mix those in to the dough on low until you see them both completely combined throughout.
Then cover the mixing bowl with saran wrap and put it in the fridge to chill for an hour. The chilling process keeps the cookies from spreading too much when they bake.
After an hour of chilling, let the dough sit out on the counter for about 5-10 minutes. While that is happening line two baking sheets with either a silicone mat or parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Okay, if you are using real caramel squares like me, this is what NOT to do.
If you do this...
Then you will get this...
Not. Pretty. Still tastes good.
Instead, I want you to do this!
Take a heaping 1 tablespoon of cookie dough, roll it into balls, and place them about 3 inches apart.
Bake for 10-12 minutes depending on how hot your oven gets. Yum, beautifully golden brown.
As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, press two or three caramel bits into the top of the cookie. Don't just let it sit on top, break the top of the cookie with the caramel and let the heat melt the caramel.
This worked like a charm! They soften but hold their shape, which is exactly what we want.
Let them cool on a baking rack and plate them to share!
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