Caramel-Filled Chocolate Cookies

I just got back from a trip to Switzerland.  It was a great way to start the summer.  The scenery is spectacular.  There are spectacular, lush mountains and pristine lakes.  The cities were clean and had beautiful architecture. 

We saw museums, churches, gardens, cathedrals, an old library, a chateau, and many other delightful things.

We ate loads of delicious food too.  I ate chocolate everyday, and cheese and pastries too.  We ate fondu and another Swedish dish called rotsi.  I ate this cheesy, egg covered bread that resembled croque madame but had another name.

All the food was phenomenal.  I was impressed by their extensive and punctual train system.  We were able to use the train to go across the whole country.

I made these decadent cookies before going to Switzerland.  I found the caramel-filled chocolate cookie recipe on the Pillsbury website.  It has many favorable ratings, and I can see why.  They were delicious cookies.

I made a few changes to the original recipe.  I added salt.  I used cashews instead of pecans.  I also drizzled the top with semi sweet chocolate instead of white candy coating.  I'm not a fan of white chocolate or white candy coating.  I had to thin our the melted chocolate with butter in order to drizzle the chocolate on the cookies.

The ingredients are 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 cup white sugar, 1 cup packed brown sugar, 1 cup softened butter, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 2 eggs, 1 cup chopped cashews, about 40 Rolo chocolate covered caramels, 1 tablespoon white sugar, 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, and 1 teaspoon butter.

I whisked together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda.

In another bowl, I creamed together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar for a few minutes.

I then beat in the eggs one at a time.

I beat in the vanilla.

I then mixed in the flour mixture.

I stirred in a half of a cup of the chopped cashews.  The dough was ready!

In a small bowl, I mixed together the remaining half a cup of chopped cashews and the tablespoon of sugar.

I formed a tablespoon and a half of the dough around a Rolo candy.

I then rolled half of the cookie dough mound in the cashew and sugar mixture.

I placed the mounds of dough two inches from each other on a baking sheet lined with a baking mat.  I baked the cookies for about eight minutes at 375 degrees.

For the drizzle, I added the chocolate chips and teaspoon of butter into a small dish.

I melted the chocolate and butter in the microwave in 30 second intervals.  I stirred after each interval until the chocolate was smooth.

I used a fork to drizzle the chocolate over the cookies.

I let them cool completely before digging in.

These were phenomenal cookies.  

They were decadent and rich.  They had a deep chocolate flavor.

The cookies were chewy, sweet, and tender.

The cashews added some crunch and texture.

Rolling the cookies in cashew and sugar made them more visually pleasing.  The drizzle was creamy, milky, and tasty.

The caramel candy filling added to the overall flavor to these cookies.  The filling was gooey, creamy, and milky.  It added richness and sweetness.

These cookies have a great presentation.  They look fancy and over the top.  Fortunately, they are easy to make.

They tasted incredible.  They were a wonderful treat, and I'll make them again.