Caramel Apple Cookies (The Leftovers Club)

For this month's Leftover's Club, I was paired with Elizabeth from In the Loop. She has a great tumblr page with lots of great recipes. You should go check it out!

So once again I had the dilema of deciding what to make for The Leftovers Club. When I saw this recipe for Caramel Apple Cookies on Chocolate, Chocolate and More, I was intrigued; the flavor of a caramel apple in a cookie? I love the flavor of caramel apples, but hate the inconvenience of the big, clunky apple and sometimes the caramel can be overly sweet. But to capture the flavor in a cookie, I knew I had to try it!

The first time I tried the recipe I was surprised by the texture and flavor. The apple chips soften up a bit and become chewy. I substituted Kraft Caramel Bits for the caramel extract called for in the original recipe and I thought it turned out great and gave the cookie a bit more texture. If you're not familiar with Kraft Caramel Bits, they're like chocolate chips only made of caramel (yum!).

I originally used Granny Smith apple chips, but  felt the outcome was too tart so I used Fuji Apple chips the second time around and it was much better!

This is definitely a unique cookie, infused with the flavor of apples and caramel. The cookies are a bit on the thinner side but are very chewy if you enjoy chewy cookies like I do. I hope you give the recipe a try!

If you're interested in joining The Leftovers Club, I highly recommend it. It's a lot of fun getting a surprise package of goodies in the mail each month and checking out what everyone else made!

Caramel Apple Cookies
Makes approx. 15 large cookies

Ingredients
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 2.5oz bag apple chips (I used Bare Naked Organic Fuji Apple Chips)
1 cup Kraft Caramel Bits

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350f

Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat.

Crush the apple chips into small pieces.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric stand mixer using the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until creamy (approx. 1 minute).

Add the eggs and vanilla and mix to combine.

Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed just until almost combined.

Add the crushed apple chips and caramel bits and pulse on low speed just to distribute the apple chips and caramel into the dough.

Using a large cookie scoop, place scoops of dough onto the baking sheets about 3 inches apart to allow room for spreading.

Bake 8-9 minutes or until cookies are light golden brown and look set.

Remove from oven and cool on cookie sheet for approx. 10 minutes then remove to parchment lined cooling racks (this is to prevent the caramel from sticking).

Store wrapped in plastic wrap or in a container for up to 2 days.