Caramel-Filled (Rolo) Chocolate Cookies

 

Back in Jill's 4-H cooking days, she made Rolo Cookies as one of her early fair entries. We called them Surprise Middle Cookies because you weren't supposed to list brand names in 4-H baking. The recipe was always a hit with the judges. The caramel center was a surprise as the judges cut into - or bit into - the chocolaty cookie.

When I was thinking about cookies for Brent's and Susan's rehearsal dinner dessert table, I saw a similar recipe in the Stafford County Hospital Cookbook. It was from Darrell and Shannon Bauer, who own and operate the Wheatland Cafe in the nearby little town of Hudson. They have a stellar reputation for any and all of their cooking - main dish or desserts. And since I couldn't lay my hands on the recipe we'd used for 4-H, I decided to give theirs a try.

They were a success! 

The only difference I can remember is that Jill's 4-H entries were rolled in a combination of granulated sugar and chopped pecans before baking. This particular recipe didn't include the pecans, though that would be an easy substitute.  Since I had other cookies with nuts, I opted to keep these nut free.

Engagement photo by Emily Brensing

These will be part of the cookie spread I'll serve for Brent's and Susan's rehearsal dinner this Friday.

We are looking forward to all the festivities! Exciting times!

  

Caramel-Filled (Rolo) Chocolate Cookies

Adapted from Stafford County Hospital Cookbook

Working Hands, Caring Hearts

Darrell & Shannon Bauer, Wheatland Cafe

 

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Rolo candies, unwrapped

Granulated sugar, for rolling the cookie dough balls in 

4 oz. almond bark

Sprinkles (optional)

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Have parchment paper ready to use for cookie sheets.

 

In small bowl, combine flour, cocoa and baking soda; blend well, and set aside. 

 

In large mixer bowl, beat sugar, brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; blend well. Add flour mixture and blend until combined and a dough forms. 

 

Using about 1 tablespoon of dough for each cookie, put an unwrapped Rolo in dough ball, roll it back into a ball, making sure the caramel candy is covered. Roll candy-stuffed cookie ball in granulated sugar and put on parchment-paper-lined cookie sheets. (I used a cookie scoop to measure out the dough for the balls.)

Bake for about 8 minutes or until the cookie ball starts to crack. Remove from oven and allow to cool. 

After cool, melt almond bark. Put in a piping bag or decorator tube and drizzle over cooled cookies. Top with sprinkles, if desired. 

Another option: Sprinkle drizzled cookies with chopped pecans or another favorite nut while the almond bark is still wet.

Note: I used dark cocoa powder.

 

 

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

I have made a lot of cookies in my life. Honestly, they're one of my favorite things to make. They have been, since I was a kid using my Mom's Sunbeam mixer to make chocolate chip treats. (We'd make oatmeal raisin - on occasion - for my Dad, but chocolate chip was the Moore girls' favorite.)

I've made hundreds of cookies for bridal showers and baby showers. I've made cookies and stuck them two-by-two like Noah's Ark in plastic bags and stashed them in the freezer until it was time to grab a few for meals in the field. I've made them for church dinners and PTO soup suppers and a jillion other reasons.

So cookies were the dessert of choice when we were talking about what to serve for Brent's and Susan's rehearsal dinner. With the venue some 5 hours away from home, we decided to have the meal itself catered. But a cookie table for dessert was a way I could still make it personal for them, their friends and family.

Last summer, I made a big assortment of cookies for a bridal shower at church. I used some of my favorites from that baking marathon. But I also tried to think of others in my vast repertoire.  

I used to make Peanut Butter Cup cookies using a cake mix for the cookie part. They were easy - and tasty - but I wanted a homemade dough for this special event. I found a recipe on a blog, Two Peas and Their Pod. 

And it didn't disappoint. Well, it didn't disappoint for anyone but Randy. I rarely make peanut butter "stuff" unless I'm taking it somewhere else, since it's not Randy's favorite.

If you don't have similar aversions, I highly recommend the recipe. If you try it, let me know what you think!

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

From Two Peas and Their Pod blog

40 miniature chocolate covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 large egg (at room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk (at room temperature)

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. This recipe makes about 40 cookies, so if you have two muffin pans, grease them both. This will speed up the process. (I didn't have 24-cup mini muffin pans, but I had multiple 12-cup pans. If you have them, prepare enough of them to make about 40 cookies.)

 

Place the unwrapped peanut butter cups in the freezer until you are ready to use them. 

 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, sugars, and peanut butter together until fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg, vanilla and milk until well mixed. Add the flour mixture; mix until just combined.

 

Roll the cookie dough into balls, 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie. (I used a cookie scoop.) The dough will be a little sticky; if it is too sticky, you can chill it in the fridge for 20 minutes. Place each ball into prepared muffin pans.

 

Bake for 8-10 minutes; don't overbake. Remove from oven. The centers will collapse a little. Remove the peanut butter cups from the oven and press a peanut butter cup into each cookie. Place the pan in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes so the cookies can cool. This will keep the peanut butter cups from melting and it will make the easier to remove from the pan.

 

When the cookies are completely cool, remove them from the pan and place on a cooling rack.

The recipe author suggested using smooth peanut butter, so I did. (I usually prefer chunky). They said it makes it easier to remove the cookies from the pan.