Caramel-Stuffed Brown Sugar Cookies

My wife, Shari, came up with this one while looking around the World-Wide Web. So good. Almost like eating candy.

Recipe By:

Jen@CarlsbadCravings.com

Yield:

24

Ingredients:

14 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-propose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1¾  cups packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
20-24 soft caramel candies, *Seen Notes
sea salt

Directions:

1. Melt 10 tablespoons butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Continue to cook and stir constantly until butter is dark golden brown, 1 to 3 minutes. Transfer browned butter to a large heatproof bowl. Add remaining 4 tablespoons butter (chopped) and stir until completely melted. Set aside to cool.

2. Meanwhile, heat oven to 350 F degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or non-stick mats. Set aside.

3. Whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder together in medium bowl. Set aside.

4. Add brown sugar and salt to bowl with cooled butter. Whisk until combined. Add egg and yolk and vanilla. Mix until combined. Add flour mixture and mix just until completely combined.

5. Scoop 1 tablespoon of cookie dough and place a caramel on top. Add another tablespoon of dough on top of caramel. Pinch edges of dough around caramel and roll into a ball. Repeat until all remaining dough is gone.

6. Place cookies on prepared baking sheets, 3 inches apart. Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake at 350 degrees F for 11-13 minutes, until barely golden. (They will seem under-baked.) Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Notes:

Original recipe called for Kraft caramels. I don’t like Kraft caramels. I don’t know what they do to them to make them taste so nasty but I am such a caramel snob that I think it is worth it to get better caramels, even though it may be a pain. I buy a brick of Peter’s caramel from Cash and Carry. I cut off blobs about the size of a lousy Kraft caramel and envelope it with this wonderful cookie dough. Well worth the effort, in my opinion.