Chocolate and Caramel, a Match Made in Heaven

I was going to take a hiatus from baking sweets for a few days. I promise! Especially with my husband's birthday coming up, I thought it would be good to hold off on the desserts for a bit. Well, last night one of my husband's friends stopped by. Since we had just gotten home from our weekend trip I didn't have anything to offer. So I made some cookies like a good little hostess. I cut the recipe in half, however, and they finished off most of the small batch, so we don't have that many leftovers. Still, please don't be expecting to see many sweets until Thursday! (Ha...I wonder if I'll make it?!)

This cookie recipe is of my own creation, entirely. Every Christmas my husband and I make the most amazing caramels, courtesy of a Martha Stewart recipe, to give as gifts and use for treats around the holidays. After our Christmas party I had some leftover and wanted a creative way to use them. So I made an intense chocolate cookie dough and wrapped it around a piece of caramel. The result was a chewy, decadent cookie that melts in your mouth. Most people don't make their own caramel, and if we want to have these at other times of the year, we need a decent substitute. I picked up some fresh dairy caramels from Goody's the last time we were in Bend, and any soft variety will work nicely. You may use Rolos in a pinch (with the added bonus of a little more chocolate!). Just make sure to cut them in half, using one piece for each cookie. Quantities caramel-wise are difficult to specify because it depends on the size you use. I use about 3/4 tsp caramel ball per cookie (or half a Rolo); too little and it's not enough flavor, too much and they become a gooey mess that are hard to remove from the baking sheet in one piece.

Chocolate Caramel Crinkles

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 oz unsweetened good quality chocolate, melted (I use Scharffenberger)

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

powdered sugar

fresh caramels (about 8-10 1 1/2" pieces or 24 Rolos)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment (to make for easier cookie removal).

Cream butter and sugar, then add other ingredients, beating well. Form into walnut-sized balls, pressing a piece of caramel into the center and wrapping the dough around to encase it completely. (If the dough is a bit soft, wait a few minutes for the chocolate to firm up.) Roll in powdered sugar.

Place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven and let stand about one or two minutes to firm up. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

If you'd like to cut the recipe in half, use one egg and about 3/4 cup flour. They will still turn out wonderfully well.