Kara made these Caramel Apple Cider Cookies a couple weeks ago. She brought one over for me to try and suggested I put it in the microwave for 10 seconds before taking a bite. Oh Em Gee!! It was delicious!
Here in Chicago it got cold fast. Only a few weeks ago it was warm and sunny, now it is really windy, cold, wet and gloomy. It’s the kind of weather that warrants a piping hot apple cider. But wait a minute! This is even better. It tastes just like hot apple cider but instead it’s a soft, caramel-y cookie.
This is one of the best cookies I’ve ever eaten (and I’ve eaten A LOT), and the most perfect fall cookie recipe. The cinnamon, the caramel, the apple cider…it all screams FALL! Bring these to work and impress your coworkers or bring them to your Thanksgiving gathering and impress all the guests. Or even better make them for nobody but you and impress yourself.
Here's what you'll need
In a small bowl whisk flour, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda
In the bowl of a stand mixer cream butter, sugar, salt and cider mix
Add eggs, one at a time
Mix in the vanilla too
Gradually add the dry ingredients
Flatten the dough in the palm of your hand and add a caramel in the center
Make sure the caramel is covered and roll the dough back into a ball
Bake until just light brown around the edges. Maybe space them more than we did too
If you like apple cider then I promise you'll love these!
Yield: Approximately 4 dozen
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 (7.4 ounce) box Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Original Instant Drink Mix (not sugar free)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla (we used vanilla bean paste)
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 (14 ounce bag) Kraft Caramels, unwrapped
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar, salt and all 10 packages of apple cider drink mix until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix in the vanilla. Gradually add the dry ingredients from the small bowl into the creamed butter mixture attached to the stand mixer. Mix everything together until just combined.
Scoop dough into balls about 2 tablespoons each. Flatten the dough in the palm of your hand and add a caramel in the center (we also made smaller cookies by cutting the caramel in half at this point and they came out fine). Make sure the caramel is covered completely and roll the dough back into a ball placing them on the baking sheets about 3 inches apart.
Bake for 12-14 minutes. You want the cookies to be lightly golden around the edges. After you remove the baking sheet from the oven, carefully slide the parchment paper off of it and onto the counter. Allow cookies to partially cool on the parchment paper. When cookies have firmed but are still slightly warm, carefully remove them by twisting the parchment paper. Allow them to finish cooling upside down on a cooling rack.
Slightly adapted from: Gimme Some Oven
