I'm taking a break from vegetables for a hot minute to share these ridiculously delicious cookies. It's been a cookie kind of week. Jake got in a car accident Friday morning and we had to spend the day in the hospital doing tests. Jake: 1 Airbag: 0. (For once, I'm thankful for his hard head.) Then came the logistics of a rental car and the news today that his car is totaled and we have until Saturday to buy a new one. Stress. Someone pass the cookies and the snugglebug.
Luckily, every cloud has its silver lining, and ours was when Jake's sisters, mom, and nephew came to visit for a quick and crazy weekend. The house was packed, but I knew that fun was in store the first morning when his oldest sister said that she wanted to go to Costco. Yes! There was no way to NOT have a blast after a solid deal-finding session, amIright? We ate Mexican food, watched the kids play with the fire truck, and forgot all about the accident for a few days.
These cookies are chewy, soft, and have a well-rounded flavor that is reminiscent of carnival caramel apples. I loved them so much that I made a batch for a charity bake-off at work and received lots of compliments and recipe requests. You need to make them as soon as possible.
Caramel Appledoodles
1 stick (8 Tbsp.) unsalted butter, room temperature 2/3 cup brown sugar 2/3 cup sugar 2 eggs 2 cups flour 2 Tbsp. cornstarch 1 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. nutmeg 1 Golden Delicious apple, peeled, cored and finely diced 1 cup caramel bits (I used chopped up Werther's, but it was a pain, so I would recommend the bits)
Topping: 1/2 cup sugar 3 Tbsp. cinnamon
Cream the butter and the sugars together using a stand or hand mixer. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until fully incorporated.
In another bowl, mix together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, sat and nutmeg. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar combo and mix until combined. Fold in the apples and caramel bits. Chill for at least one hour in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the 1/2 cup sugar and 3 Tbsp. cinnamon in a small bowl. Form the cookie dough into balls and roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet about 3 inches apart.
Bake for 14-16 minutes.
Source: The Jey of Cooking, and Prevention RD has a version that she made a little healthier.
