Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

As fall is leaving and the icy death known as winter is approaching, I leave you with one last fall-fancied feature.  The Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies.  If you're a pinterest-er then you've seen these things all over that place and by and large they live up to the hype. But before I leave with said recipe a little about me...It is my blog after all.  Okay I'm kidding - mostly; I'm not really that self-centered...okay okay, I'm not that self-centered most of the time.

But seriously, about me now.  As finals approach and my paper deadline (anyone else able to tell I've been writing a paper by my correct grammar and extended vocabulary?) draws ever nearer, I just have this to say: This whole daylight savings time thing is really cramping my style.  Now at 5pm when it's pitch black, instead of being prepared to study, I'm more prepared to go to bed.  Seriously unhelpful for studying.

On the flip side, I keep waking up uber early thinking I've overslept because it's so stinking sunny outside! There's really nothing like waking up in a panic that you've overslept to start your day of right, agreed?

Other than my whining, I am seriously looking forward to a teeny bit of time off over Thanksgiving break. We get to see both sides of the fam in OK, and it's basically been a year since I've seen the wind-come-sweeping-down-the-plain so I'd say it's about time.  Now if I can only get through the next week and a half of constant work I'll be good...ish...Truth is I won't be "good" but I'm sure going to pretend like everything's fine.  Hope you all are adapting to the time change much better than I am.

Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies
Adapted from The Cooking Photographer

Ingredients

1 cup softened butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 packets of Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink mix, not the sugar free stuff - you wanna all the sugar you can get.

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 cups all purpose flour

1 bag Kraft Caramels (14 oz)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line cookie sheets with parchment. (You really need the parchment!)

In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.

With your mixer (or an energetic spoon) cream together butter, sugar, salt and the 5 packages of apple cider drink mix powder, until light and fluffy.

Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix well.

Gradually add flour mixture to butter/egg mixture. Mix until just combined.

Do yourself a favor and don't eat the dough at this point. It's super sweet. When you are ready to bake, unwrap your caramels. 

Scoop out cookie dough ball about the size of a walnut. (I used a rounded cookie scoop-full. My scoop holds about a Tablespoon.)

Flatten the ball of dough slightly in the palm of your hand. Press the unwrapped caramel into the center of your dough and seal the dough around it, covering it completely. Place on parchment covered cookie sheets 2 inches apart.

Bake 12-14 minutes, or until very lightly browned around the edges. Please don't over-bake! Once the cookies are done, slide the parchment off of the baking sheet right out onto the counter. Allow cookies to partially cool on the parchment. When cookies are cool enough to be firm but still slightly warm, carefully twist off of parchment and allow to finish cooling upside down (either on the parchment or on a rack.) If you forget about them and they cool too much and stick to your parchment, put them into the freezer for a few minutes and they'll pop right off.