Double Chocolate Chip Caramel Stuffed Cookies

I love sending and getting happy mail, and nothing is happier than cookies coming in the mail. I participated in my third cookie swap this year and think it was my best year yet. Since the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap was canceled this year the lovely ladies over at Pinterest Test Kitchen set up an exchange to take its place, Food Blogger Love Cookie Exchange. If you follow me on Instagram (which you totally should and can do so here) then you have seen the three awesome boxes of cookies I got and the hashtag #fblcookieexchange. I would consider clicking on that hashtag if I were you to see all the great cookies that were sent and received.

I got three dozen cookies, all amazing, which is hard on a girl who rarely eats real sugar! I may have had a large spike in blood sugar the day they all got it. That’s right they all got there in a two-day span. Of course, I had to try them all when they got there, and they were so good I didn’t want to stop!

First I got Dark Chocolate Espresso Shortbread cookies from Faye at Live Bake Love. Now espresso is not one of my favorite flavors but these were awesome and the shortbread was perfectly made. I have made a few shortbread cookies before and they don’t always turn out great. These were a huge hit with the Hubby too.

Then I got Butterscotch Cake Mix cookies from Jess of The Pinterest Test Kitchen. Cake mix cookies are so good and a favorite of mine, adding in the butterscotch and white chocolate chips sent them over the edge. Seriously with just a tiny bit of tweaking, I think they could be considered Butterbeer cookies. These were the first ones gone!

Last but not least I got Cranberry White Chocolate Ginger Oatmeal Cookies from Liz  of That Skinny Chick Can Bake. I love oatmeal cookies and would have never thought to add ginger to them. It was a brilliant touch to the cookies and gave them a unique flavor that I just couldn’t get enough of. I think these were my favorite just because they were a perfect twist on a favorite of mine.

So what did I send to my exchange partners? These decadent Double Chocolate Chip Cookies Stuffed with Caramel. A chocolate cookie with chocolate chips, with a caramel center.  They are a bit tricky to make if the caramel oozes out the bottom but they are quite tasty and well worth the work. I hope all three of the recipients enjoyed them.

These are pretty simple to make but they do take a little time. They are stuffed with soft caramel candies so one of the first things you need to do is unwrap them all so they are ready when you are.

The dough comes together easily but is pretty thick, which makes stirring in the chocolate chips harder. I did it in my stand mixer and they were distributed pretty easily. I kept a handful out so that I could add a couple on top of each cookie when they came out to be sure there was plenty of chocolate in each one.  Once the dough has chilled it is time to stuff and roll the cookies out.

Once the dough has chilled it is time to stuff and roll the cookies out. Take a tablespoon measure and scoop out a tablespoon of dough make a little flat spot. Take the caramel and wrap it inside of the dough. Make sure everything is sealed and you can’t see the caramel any more, this will help make sure it doesn’t leak out when it is cooking.

Chill the cookies for a few minutes to help them set back up. Then bake as directed below. When they are finished let them sit on the pan for a little bit to set up. If you think any have leaked caramel out the bottom then don’t try to remove them yet, get all the ones that are not onto a cookie rack to cool. If it starts to break and ooze apart when moving them, try to keep it in one piece on the pan.

The caramel makes these a little tricky at removing, but this is how I did mine and they turned out great. The ones that have leaked a bit at the bottom are too soft to sit on a cooling rack to set up because the caramel will go through the wrack. I carefully moved mine using a spatula to keep the cookie together and not lose the caramel to another lined pan, then put that pan in the fridge. This helps the bottom stay together and set up quicker. Once they are set they are good to go with the other cookies.

These are great warmed up for about 10 seconds to soften the caramel up and make them taste and feel fresh out of the oven again.