Caramel Corn Cookies

I pretty much grew up on leftovers. My parents would cook big meals over the weekend and then we’d survive on them throughout the week on busy school nights. I spent many a Wednesday night eating reheated lasagna or warming up a burger. Gosh I miss those days.

I’m still super into leftovers. Partly, because a lot of things taste better the next day (soup, cold pizza, bread, etc.) and mainly partly from laziness.

Leftover spaghetti? Make a pasta bake. Grilled veggies? Into tomorrow’s omelet. Extra puppy chow? In cupcakes!

Bunches of caramel corn? Cookies!

I made the first version of these cookies over the summer. And I complicated them. I added pretzels and oats and extra little bits. And they were good, oh yes, delicious in fact – but they had potential. And now, I think they have finally reached it.

Thick, chewy, sugary cookies with bits of crunch, salty caramel corn folded in? Nothing gets better than that, right? Wrong! Adding a center of gooey, melty, awe-inducing caramel.

Caramel Corn Cookies (recipe adapted from Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, makes 16 large or 32 small cookies)

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. cinnamon

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

¾ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup brown sugar

1 whole egg + 1 yolk

2 tsp. vanilla

2 – 3 cups caramel corn, roughly chopped

16 - 32 caramel pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping the bowl as necessary. 

Add egg and yolk, beating again until fluffy, another 2 minutes. Add in vanilla.

Add flour mixture to butter mixture in 3 small batches, again, scraping bowl as needed.

Stir in caramel corn.

Using a large cookie scoop or ¼ cup measure scoop out rounded balls of dough. Pull ball apart placing caramel piece on one half of the dough and topping with the other. Seal edges tightly. Reform dough into a ball again if necessary.

Place on prepared baking sheets 2 – 3 inches apart (leaving more space for bigger cookies) and baking in preheated oven 10 – 13 minutes for large cookies or 6 – 8 minutes for small. Remove cookies from oven when edges are golden brown and center is set.

Allow to rest on sheets for five minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

I believe that is called gilding the lily.