Caramel Surprise Snickerdoodles

I realized it's been awhile since I shared a really good cookie recipe with you all and this one is the perfect thing to introduce! I made these cookies as part of a "care package" I sent along with Will and his friends as they embarked on his bachelor party weekend to Louisville for a bunch of bourbon drinking! Since it's a bit of a drive from all the parts of Virginia they came from to get to Louisville, I baked them a series of snacks for the ride. I made one of my favorite recipes, Chocolate Chip Muffins, these cookies, and a new brownie recipe (be on the lookout!) and all but a couple brownies were eaten that weekend. When you stick six hungry young men in cars, desserts are the remedy to a long drive. Needless to say, these were a huge hit for the guys and I heard they were the favorite baked good of the weekend and didn't even make it all the way to Kentucky. I was just happy that they reinstated my "Sinfonia Sweetheart" status and lived up to my past as a weekly baking goddess for their fraternity. If you're looking to bake something a little out-of-the-box and a little more involved, definitely give these a try!

In regards to baking the cookies themselves, I love Sally's creativity when it comes to "stuffing" your cookies. It was really fun to take a standard snickerdoodle and kick it up a notch by putting a gooey, oozing caramel in its center - it also made it jump to the top of Will's favorite cookies list because it combined his favorite dessert (caramel) with one of his favorite types of cookies. Sally has lots of recipes like this, so I definitely look forward to trying more! It's especially fun to stuff the cookies and then serve them to unsuspecting guests - the look of surprise on their face is priceless when they realize the inside is a totally different flavor!

Baking Notes: I used all brown sugar because I was out of white sugar and the substitution seemed to work just fine. Also, I ended up with 32 cookies, not the 20-24 that Sally said I would. Then again, I made smaller cookies than she suggested, because I wanted them to go further :)

Caramel Surprise Snickerdoodles (adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction; makes 32)
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 1/3 cups light brown sugar (or 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/3 cup brown sugar)
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
12 soft wrapped caramel candies
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Toss the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl - set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar together until smooth. Whisk in the egg, then vanilla, until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix together with a rubber spatula. The dough will get thick and heavy and maybe a wee bit crumbly - cover tightly and then chill for at least 1 hour.

Once dough has chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make your cinnamon sugar topping by stirring 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1 tsp ground cinnamon in a small bowl or ramekin. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Unwrap the caramels and cut each into 4 pieces. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll into balls, about 1 tbsp in size (this will get you more cookies and the caramels will still fit inside). Allow the warmth of your hand to help the dough stick together.

Once you have your balls of dough, take the dough balls one at a time and break them in half. Make a thumbprint in the bottom of one half and press two pieces of caramel inside. Place the other half of the ball on top and roll around in your hands, to smoosh them together into one smooth ball with the caramels completely covered. (See original recipe for visual directions). Once your ball is ready, roll it in your small bowl of cinnamon-sugar to coat, then place onto a cookie sheet. Repeat until you have filled a cookie sheet with 10-12 dough balls. Bake for 10-11 minutes. Cookies will appear very puffy and soft when you remove them from the oven. Allow them to cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy your cookies while warm! They also store well for a couple days, if they can last that long :)

Recipe: Sally's Baking Addiction: Caramel Surprise Snickerdoodles