Caramel-Stuffed Chocolate Truffle Cookies

I am finding that my family is very supportive of my decision to become a baker. They have all volunteered to be my guinea pigs. It is nice to have family that supports you, even if they are all a bunch of moochers who just like you for your baked goods.

Today's goodies came from another Pillsbury recipe - Salted Caramel-Stuffed Chocolate Truffle Cookies. I get emails from Pillsbury, so oftentimes as I'm reading my emails I see something I like and, because I'm fat and indulgent, I run off to the kitchen to make my fantasy come true. So anyways I saw the recipe and I made it the next day.

The recipe claims that this recipe will make thirty cookies. That was not true, at least in my case. I did eat some of the batter, but there's no way I ate fourteen cookies worth of it. Sixteen cookies came out at the end, but out of those, only about ten really survived. These cookies are VERY crumbly, which is totally understandable seeing as they each contain a melted Rolo in their middle.

My advice to you would be to wait to eat them until the next day, when they aren't warm and melty and mmm.... But really, wait until tomorrow to eat them. They won't fall apart and are still so damn good.

I did not put any salt on top of them. I did put half a teaspoon in the mix, as the recipe called for, but I did not sprinkle any on the tops. Maybe I will next time. They didn't seem to need it.

If you read the reviews, many people complain that these are too messy. I wouldn't agree. They are a little messy, but not so messy that I would refuse to make them again. They are too good to complain about the mess. Trust me, it's worth it.




CARAMEL-STUFFED CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE COOKIES
(Adapted from Pillsbury)
Yield:  20-25 cookies

COOKIES:

• 1 roll (16.5 oz)  refrigerated chocolate chip cookies
• 1/3 cup unsweetened baking cocoa                        
• 1/4 cup whipping cream                        
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips                        
• 30 Rolos (from 12-oz bag), unwrapped

TOPPING:

• 20 Rolos, unwrapped
• 2 tablespoons whipping cream

DIRECTIONS:

1. Let cookie dough stand at room temperature 10 minutes to soften. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. In large bowl, mix cocoa, whipping cream and 1/2 teaspoon salt with wooden spoon until well blended. Crumble cookie dough into cocoa mixture; add chocolate chips, and stir until well blended. Place dough in freezer 15 minutes for easier handling.
3. Using measuring tablespoon or small ice cream scoop, shape dough into 30 balls. Freeze 15 minutes. Place 1 caramel inside each dough ball, covering completely and reshaping ball around caramel. Dough will be sticky; wet hands slightly if helpful. Place balls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
4. Bake 9 to 13 minutes or until edges of cookies are set. Cool on cookie sheets 2 minutes; remove to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, in small microwave bowl, microwave 20 caramels and 2 tablespoons whipping cream uncovered on High 45 seconds to 1 minute 15 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds or until caramel is melted and mixture is smooth.
6. Spoon or drizzle caramel over cookies.