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double caramel apple cookies

(3 ratings)
shellsea87 avatar
Blue Ribbon Recipe by
Chelsea Mitcham
@shellsea87
Houston, TX

I adapted these from several different recipes and was so proud of how they came out! Homemade caramel can be substituted by store-bought, but I love knowing these are completely from scratch. Enjoy!

Blue Ribbon Recipe

We love caramel and apples, so this cookie caught our eye. We were definitely not disappointed. It has all the classic fall flavors packed inside. As you bite into the caramel apple cookie, there are bits of fresh apple and caramel oozes out. Yum!

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
(3 ratings)
yield 38 serving(s)
prep time 20 Min
cook time 20 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For double caramel apple cookies

  • 1/3 c
    butter
  • 1/3 c
    shortening
  • 1/2 c
    applesauce
  • 1 1/4 c
    brown sugar
  • 1 tsp
    baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp
    cinnamon
  • 1 tsp
    vanilla
  • 2
    eggs
  • 3 1/4 c
    all-purpose flour
  • 1/2
    apple, peeled and diced
  • 10
    hard caramels, finely crushed almost into powder (mine were homemade but you can use store-bought)
  • 19
    soft caramels, cut in half and rolled into balls about 1/3" in diameter (I used my own recipe, which you can find at the end of the instructions)

How To Make double caramel apple cookies

  • Butter and shortening combined.
    1
    Soften the butter and shortening together until no solid chunks remain when mixed.
  • Mix in brown sugar and applesauce.
    2
    Add applesauce and brown sugar. Cream together.
  • Cinnamon and baking powder added to the batter.
    3
    Add cinnamon and baking powder. Mix well to distribute the cinnamon.
  • Mixing in eggs and vanilla extract.
    4
    Add eggs and vanilla; mix well.
  • Slowly adding the flour.
    5
    Slowly add in flour. You may need to add a little more until the dough is sticky but not wet looking.
  • Crushed caramels and apple added to the batter.
    6
    Add in the crushed caramels and the diced apple until evenly distributed.
  • Chilling the batter.
    7
    Refrigerate dough until firm (about 10 minutes).
  • Scoop of dough on a baking sheet with caramel stuffed inside.
    8
    Use a cookie dough scoop or two spoons to make a ball of dough about the size of a ping-pong ball. Slightly flatten. Take a ball of soft caramel and place it in the middle and wrap the dough around it to close the caramel inside. Place the ball with the side where the opening was up on a cookie sheet sprayed with Pam (this will prevent the caramel from "leaking" out).
  • Caramel Apple Cookies baking in the oven.
    9
    Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes depending on your oven. They won't look very brown on top but the edges on the bottom should be golden.
  • Double Caramel Apple Cookies cooling on a wire rack.
    10
    Carefully remove from the cookie sheet using a spatula. These are tender and with the melted caramel hot they can break easily if you aren't careful. I suggest you move them to a separate pan or cooling rack soon after baking so that the caramel is still soft and easy to manipulate.
  • 11
    ***HOMEMADE SOFT CHEWY CARAMELS WITHOUT CORN SYRUP*** 3 cups sugar 2 cups heavy cream 1 cup milk (regular not evaporated or condensed) 1 cup butter 1/2 cup honey 1/2 cup molasses 1 tsp vanilla 1. Combine all ingredients in a soup-size pan (large) over medium-high heat. 2. Stir continuously until the mixture pulls away slightly from the sides of the pan and only slowly flows off the back of a spoon, or when a candy thermometer reaches 245 degrees F. (You can test it by pouring a little onto a cool plate, waiting a few seconds and testing to see if it's soft. If it's still runny and won't hold its shape you need to keep waiting. This will take about 30 minutes. DON'T WAIT TOO LONG OR IT WILL HARDEN!!!) 3. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. It will steam and froth but just mix until smooth. 4. Pour into a 13x9 pan sprayed with Pam and let cool. ***If you let it cook a little longer then you will have the hard caramels I used in this cookie recipe.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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