Caramel Apple Cookies

Well, these cookies were easy to make and tasty. But I'm not sure they captured the essence of caramel apple. Maybe I needed a better toffee mix in? The recipe called for toffee bits and I used chopped butterscotch morsels...hmm...



Caramel Apple Cookies
Adapted from Bakers Royale

1 3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 3/4 sticks butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 cup diced apples (4 oz.)
3/4 cup chopped salted roasted almonds
1/2 cup toffee bits (chopped butterscotch chips?)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper (not essential, but it helps)
2. Whisk flour and baking soda together and set aside.
3. Heat 10 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat until melted about 2 minutes. Continue stirring for another 1-3 minutes until brown and there is a nutty aroma. Remove from heat. Pour heated butter through a sieve into a heat proof bowl. Stir in remaining butter until completely melted.
4. Add  both sugars, salt and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully combined. 
5. Add egg and egg yolk, whisk until mixture is smooth and no sugar lumps remains.
6. Let mixture stand for 3 minutes then whisk for another 30 seconds.
7. Repeat step four 2 more times until mixture is thick and shiny. The butter will start to firm up as it cools and come more to resemble cookie batter
8. Stir in flour mixture until combined. 
9. Stir in apples, roasted almonds and toffee bits combined.
10. Use an ice cream scoop to form cookies. Place dough 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.
11. Bake cookies one tray at a time, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking. Bake until cookies are golden brown and still puffy. Approximately 10-14 minutes.
12. Cool on cookie sheets set on wire rack before removing to wire rack to cool completely