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Caramel Apple Cookies

October 23, 2011 by The Runaway Spoon 13 Comments

IMG_7251 Caramel Apple Cookies

The flavor of caramel covered apples is amazing.  Eating a caramel apple, not so much.  The caramel-to-apple ration in my opinion, tends to be too low.  I can’t abide those pre-made wrap around sheets, and making a good caramel is a bit of work.  And in the end, the caramel tends to slide off the apple.  Here’s the solution.

I’ve made these cookies for years, but not as often as their flavor warrants.  I used the square caramel candies, and slogged through the process of unwrapping each one, then cutting them into small pieces with floured scissors or a knife.  But I recently discovered caramel bits in the baking section.  Basically, caramel pieces with all the work done.  If you can’t find them, cut up the old squares.  These are chewy from the caramel with a little snap from the apples.

Caramel Apple Cookies

½ cup butter, softened

1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar

1 egg

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

2cups finely chopped green apples (about 1 large apple)

11 ounces caramel bits, or caramel squares cut into small
pieces

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cream the butter and brown sugar in a stand mixer until fluffy, about 7 minutes.  Add the egg and beat until smooth.  Add the flour, cinnamon and baking soda , bit by bit, beating until smooth. Fold in the apple pieces and the caramel bits until well mixed.

Using a 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop or spoon, scoop mounds of dough and inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets.   Bake for 8 – 10 minutes until firm and puffed.  Rotate the trays from the top shelf to the bottom shelf after 5 minutes.  Cool on the trays until firm, then remove to a cooling rack.  Some of the caramel may leak out and turn brown; those pieces will snap off.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

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Filed Under: Fruit, Fruit and Vegetables, Snacks And Starters, Sweets Tagged With: Apples, caramel, cookies, fall, Snacks, Sweets

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. flour power says

    October 23, 2011 at 12:58 pm

    Ooooh, this really sounds divine!

  2. Blog is the New Black says

    October 23, 2011 at 1:20 pm

    SO funny! I printed out a few versions of similar recipes to make tonight, but yours looks like the best! What great timing. I can’t wait to make these! 🙂 Thanks!

  3. The Runaway Spoon says

    October 23, 2011 at 1:29 pm

    Enjoy!

  4. Frances says

    November 3, 2011 at 1:38 pm

    Just making these now! The dough tastes fantastic! I justified it as breakfast on account of the apples. 😉

  5. Ruth says

    November 4, 2011 at 7:47 am

    I was excited about making these, but had some problems. the dough did not hold together–very crumbly and I had to bake them about 20 minutes. They are very chewy (as you said they would be) but they ran into odd shapes and aren’t “cakey” at all–more like candy. And I couldn’t get them off the parchment until completely cooled. Maybe this is how they are meant to be. Just curious if I did something wrong…

  6. The Runaway Spoon says

    November 4, 2011 at 11:22 am

    I am so sorry these didn’t work for you. I have not had a problem with the dough holding together. Was the apple you used particularly large are juicy? I can only think that maybe too much moisture made the doung difficult and the cookies soft and runny. The cookies are chewy, but with a thin chocolate cookie texture. I wouldn’t say cakey. And if they stuck to the parchment, that may be the caramel that melts out of the cookie. Did you use the caramle bits or cut up larger ones? If you cut up larger ones, maybe use fewer caramels and cut them into very small pieces. Again, sorry you had problems and I wish I could solve the, easily.

  7. Ruth says

    November 4, 2011 at 2:06 pm

    Thanks for your response. They tasted great, so will definitely try again. I did have to cut up caramels (which was tedious!), so will try the bits next time. And maybe cut the apples into tinier pieces.
    Will let you know the results next time. 😉

  8. Megan says

    November 5, 2011 at 9:26 pm

    These were great! Mine were also really runny… I assume because I’m in Florida and things are a bit muggy. I tend to have to adjust the flour a bit, so I will try that in my next run. The flavor really hit the spot!

  9. Melissa says

    October 9, 2012 at 1:37 pm

    I just made these for a cookie social at church. Mine also spread out into idd shapes, but they were delicious. I got many compliments on them. Next time I’m going to use a silicon mini tart pan to bake them just to help them keep their shape. Can’t wait to make them again!

  10. Karen M says

    October 21, 2012 at 3:02 pm

    Made these last night and they turned out great. However, I packed them up last night and when I went to eat some today they had completely fallen apart and turned mushy. I’m guessing the liquid in the apples maybe did it? I put them back in the oven for another 15 minutes and they seem to be ok. Anyone else have this problem?

  11. The Runaway Spoon says

    October 21, 2012 at 3:05 pm

    Sorry that I happened, I have never had that problem before, though they do get soft during storage.

Trackbacks

  1. Blog is the New Black » Blog Archive » Caramel Apple Cookies says:
    October 26, 2011 at 7:09 pm

    […] down with a cup of tea and started cruising through my Google Reader.  What do you know?  The Runaway Spoon had posted a recipe for caramel apple cookies mere minutes before!  After scanning the […]

  2. Caramel and Apple Spells Autumn | Say-Very Sweet Things says:
    September 27, 2013 at 6:02 pm

    […] Today I made Caramel Apple Cookies found at the Runaway Spoon. […]

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I'm P.C. I think I am like most people. Somewhere in the middle between food snob and food schlub. Just being in the kitchen makes me happy. I live, mostly in my kitchen, in my hometown of Memphis, Tennessee.

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