Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

    Have you ever heard of an apple cider cookie?  I hadn't, so when I stumbled upon this recipe, on The Cooking Photographer, it immediately had me intrigued.  This week we will host another Literacy Team meeting in the Reading Room, so this recipe came at a perfect time.  My Grandma is also having our family over for lasagna so I plan to bring some of these sweets there as well.  I have a feeling that winter is going to hit us before fall really has a chance to show it's face this year.  Making all of these fall inspired dishes makes it seem a bit more fall like, even though the temperatures keep feeling reaching for 70 degrees.

Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 box Alpine Instant Spiced Apple Cider Mix
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 cups flour
1 bag of caramels, cut in half

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. Line rimless cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Beat together the butter, sugar, salt, and all 10 packets of apple cider mix in a large bowl, using a mixer.  The mixture should be smooth and fluffy.
3. Beat in the eggs and vanilla and then the baking powder and baking soda.  Next add the flour and mix to combine.
4. Use a cookie scoop to drop the dough onto cookie sheets.  Flatten the dough slightly with your fingers and place a piece of caramel in the middle.  Arrange the dough so that it covers the caramel.  Place cookies 2 inches apart.
5. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are golden.  After taking the cookie sheets from the oven, slide the parchment paper onto the counter so that the cookies can cool.

The Taste Test
    This recipe was suppose to make over 50 cookies but I don't have a cookie scoop so I think I made the cookies a bit too big.  I only made 33 cookies.  Oops.  I thought these cookies were going to be really tricky but they were relatively easy.  The cider mix gives the cookies a flavor that I've never tasted in a cookie before.  The caramel is a sweet surprise.  I wonder if there is a way to warm the cookies up so that the caramel is gooey even when the cookie aren't served right from the oven...