Chocolate Caramel Cookies with Maldon Salt – C2CCS #2

I’ll be honest, I’m not the most dedicated blogger. So when my cousin, blogger In Natalies Shoes, asked me to join the second Coast to Coast Cookie Swap (#C2CCS) I was 110% on board. Not only would I get free samples of freshly baked cookies sent to my home, but I would also get the opportunity to network with fellow food bloggers and share the Domestic Wannabe love.

So how it works is a group of 6 bloggers bake cookies and ship the cookies to 3 other bloggers in the group. Not a bad deal right?

I decided to make these Chocolate Caramel Cookies with Maldon Salt (similar to Fleur de Sel but not from the ocean) that a made for a baby shower a few weeks ago and were a huge hit. I found the recipe on Pinterest from Cooking Classy but I left out the powdered sugar and added more salt on top because I like a good burst of salt with my chocolate and caramel. 🙂

They sound complicated but they are very easy. The dough is similar to a brownie and you roll it into balls and then push a caramel candy in the middle. I cut mine in half because I wanted my cookies to be a little smaller and you need enough dough to wrap around the caramel. Once the caramel is inserted, sprinkle a dash of the salt on top and fold the dough around the caramel. Then sprinkle another dash of salt on top of the cookie and they are ready.

I love the combination of Chocolate and salt. Throw some caramel in there and I’m sold! These cookies are also great because they stay moist and you can reheat them in the microwave to ge the warm gooey out of the oven experience. I hope the ladies in the C2CCS enjoyed them!

Recipe:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 10 tbsp salted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 dozen caramels (such as Kraft) or Rolos, unwrapped
• Maldon Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt, set aside. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment, whip together butter, granulated sugar and light-brown sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add in eggs one at a time, stirring after each addition until combine. Mix in vanilla. With mixer set on low speed, slowly add in dry ingredients and mix just until combine.

Scoop dough out 2 tbsp at a time and roll into a ball. Press one caramel into the center, sprinkle top of caramel with a small pinch of coarse sea salt then fold cookie dough around caramel and salt (make sure the caramel is fully covered with dough around all sides).  Align cookies on Silpat lined or buttered cookie sheets and bake in preheated oven 11 – 13 minutes.

For the Cookie Swap, here’s what I received and got to nosh on this past week:

Karla’s Almond Joy Chocolate Chip Cookies

The didn’t hold up so well in the mail but they were delicious even in a million pieces. I loved the mixture of chocolate, nuts and coconut in the cookie and the dough was great too. My mom love’s Almond Joy candy bars so I know I will be making these for her soon!

Coco’s Cinnamon Appledoodles

These were great for fall and I loved the combination of the spicy cinnamon and apple jam.