12 days of christmas baking - day 7: caramel-filled chocolate cookies

i have been wanting to bake some chocolate cookies with caramel filling after stumbling upon some crazy good-looking photos of these cookies on pinterest. so, finally, here is my take on it! i didn't have any soft caramels lying around the house and didn't feel up to making my own from scratch so i used some kraft caramel bits and heated it in the microwave with a little bit of water to water it down so that it would be soft enough for a filling (but not too liquify like a sauce). the end result? some tasty chocolate cookies, for sure.

so below's the recipe should you want to bake a batch yourself. these cookies are best eaten warm. you definitely cannot pass up warm baked cookies this time of year, especially when they're filled with oozing caramel. yummmm-y! :)


these chocolate cookies with caramel filling are best enjoy warm. make sure you only cool the cookies slightly so that the caramel is still oozing out of them when you break into it.


soft caramels produce the best results in these caramel-filled chocolate chip cookies.


any chocolate and caramel lover would not be able to resist this tasty treat. so go ahead and bake a bunch and give it away as a mini gift this holiday season!

chocolate cookies with caramel filing

ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• a pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
• 12 soft caramels
• some sea salt (for sprinkling, optional)

directions:

1. preheat oven to 350°f. line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
2. sift the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder into a medium bowl.
3. in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or you can use a medium-size bowl with a handmixer like i do), beat the butter on low speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. add the sugar and mix on low speed until well combined. then mix on medium speed until the mixture gets lighter in color and texture becomes fluffier, about 5 minutes.
4. with the mixer on medium speed, add the egg and mix until well-incorporated and very smooth, about 30 seconds. then mix on medium speed for 30 more seconds. feel free to scrape down the sides to get all the mixture in.
5. then add the flour mixture. mix on low speed just until uniform in texture. mix on low until everything is combined.
6. using a cookie scoop (about 1 tablespoon in size), scoop out 1-1/2 tablespoons and form into a ball. place them on the baking sheet, spacing them at least 2 inches apart. then using your finger or thumb, make an indentation in the center and put in your soft caramel (or you can just lightly squash in the caramel). at this point, you can sprinkle a little bit of sea salt on top of the caramel if you like and cover it up with a little bit of dough to seal it. make sure the caramel isn't visible so that when it bakes it will be contained until you break into it.
7. bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are slightly firm to the touch and the surface is no longer glossy, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time.
8. let the cookies cool on the pan for a few minutes before removing. then eat and enjoy! best enjoy warm. of course, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days. or if you don't want to use all the dough at once, the dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

makes a dozen 3-inch cookies.

check out last year's day 7 recipe: peppermint and coffee nutella french macarons