Caramel Apple Cookies

The first time Cami made these, I fell in love and knew I had to get the recipe. They are THE BEST on a cold autumn day, with a mug of tea or cider while it rains outside. Or for breakfast. Or anytime really.

Ingredients

• Parchment paper
• 1 cup softened butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 box (7.4 oz) Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink mix -not sugar free- all 10 packets (in my grocery store near the hot chocolate mixes.)
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 bag Kraft Caramels (14 oz) 

Directions

• In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.
• With your mixer, cream together butter, sugar, salt and all 10 packages of apple cider drink mix powder, until light and fluffy. (And try not to breathe in too much dust from the cider mix!)
• Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix well.
• Gradually add flour mixture to butter/egg mixture. Mix until just combined.
• Refrigerate for about an hour. (If you're really impatient you don't have to do this, but it makes it soooo much easier to work with.)
• When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 350° F. Line cookie sheets with parchment. (You really need the parchment!) Unwrap your caramels.
• Scoop out cookie dough ball about the size of a walnut. (I used a rounded cookie scoop-full. My scoop holds about a Tablespoon.)
• Flatten the ball of dough slightly in the palm of your hand. Press the unwrapped caramel into the center of your dough and seal the dough around it, covering it completely. Place on parchment covered cookie sheets 2 inches apart.
• Bake 10-12 minutes, or until VERY lightly browned around the edges. Please don't over-bake! Once the cookies are done, immediately slide the parchment off of the baking sheet right out onto the counter. Allow cookies to partially cool on the parchment. When cookies are cool enough to be firm but still slightly warm, carefully twist off of parchment and allow to finish cooling upside down (either on the parchment or on a rack.) If you forget about them and they cool too much and stick to your parchment, put them into the freezer for a few minutes and they'll pop right off.
• Yield: about 4 dozen, depending on how large you make your cookies (or how many caramels have been snitched out of your bag before you begin.) Store in an airtight container.

If they get hard, pop them in the microwave for 5 seconds and they'll be good as new. Ü