Caramel Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Cups before baking

Cookies after baking

I hosted a cookie swap last night and of course I was the only person who forgot to print out copies of my recipe :( Tsk Tsk. So I promised to get it written up right away...I'm apparently fairly scatterbrained when it comes to event details...even when I make them up myself!

These were originally supposed to be a cookie made in a mini muffin tin, but they were ridiculously time consuming and even more ridiculous to try to extract from the pan when cooked. Thus this method was born!

Sugar Cookie Ingredients
3/4 Cup Hard Margarine/Butter, softened
3/4 Cup Sugar
1 Large Egg
1 Tsp. Vanilla
2 Cups Flour
1 Tsp. Baking Soda
1 Tsp. Cream of Tartar
1/4 Tsp. Salt

Filling
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
20 oz Caramels, unwrapped (or use the Homemade Caramel Recipe)
1/3 Cup Whipping Cream
Pecans (optional)

Dough: Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add egg and beat well. Add vanilla, beat until smooth. Combine the remaining 5 ingredients in a small bowl and mix. Add to butter mixture and mix until a dough forms and no dry flour remains.

Caramel Mixture:
Melt caramels and whipping cream over medium low heat until melted and smooth. Leave over very low heat and stir frequently while waiting to use it.
Roll dough into 1" balls, form these into small 'cups'. Bake for 8 minutes, remove from oven (they will have flattened out) and with the handle end of a wooden spoon carefully press the center down. Bake another 2 minutes. Remove from oven, re-press the center again and place a few semi sweet chocolate chips in each. Spoon caramel mixture on top of this and let sit on pan for a few minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Place either a pecan on top or a decoration of some sort (we had a nut free exchange so I used a snowflake candy).

Once cooled they are quite firm, but chewy :)