Caramel-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Shari found this in a magazine while waiting to get her hair cut.

Recipe By:

Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1½  cups packed light-brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
24 caramels, such as Kraft, halved *SEE NOTE

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees, with racks in top and middle.

2. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together flour, both sugars, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. Add butter. Beat on medium speed until combined but some pea-size butter chunks remain.

4. Add chocolate chips. Beat until combined.

5. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla.

6. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Scoop dough into 4-ounce balls (each about 1/3 cup.) Bake a deep, wide hollow in each center. Enclose 3 pieces of caramel in each. Roll back into a ball. Place 6 balls on each sheet. Freeze 15 minutes.

7. Bake, with one sheet on each rack, 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees. Swap sheet positions and rotate each sheet 180 degrees. Bake until centers are almost but not completely set (press gently on tops with your fingers to check), about 7 minutes more. Remove from oven. Bang sheets on a counter a few times to create cracks in tops of cookies. Place sheets on a wire rack. Let cool completely.

Notes:

I don’t like Kraft caramels so replaced them with 15 grams of Peter’s caramel in each cookie.