Caramel Apple Oatmeal Cookies

Caramel Apple Oatmeal Cookies
Okay, that was a mouthful to say - and your family and friends will definitely want their mouths full of these tasty treats when you bake them! We came up with this recipe after receiving a big box of apples, and we wanted to put a twist on oatmeal raisin cookies. We tried the recipe first with fresh apples, but it made the dough to gooey, so we substituted them with dried Mariani sliced apples. Oh, and we just happened to have several bags of caramel lying around. :)

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups rolled oats (uncooked)


2 cups dried apple (we used Mariani sliced apples - they are dried but still soft), chopped to about the size of raisins or a little larger.
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

Cream butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour,salt, soda, and cinnamon in a second bowl then fold into creamed butter & sugar mixture along with oats. Chop the dried apples and mix with 2 Tablespoons of sugar to prevent sticking together. Next, fold apple/sugar mixture to dough.

Roll into small balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 F for 12 - 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.


Caramel Sauce
1 package of Caramels (14 oz. - about 50 pieces) - unwrapped
2 Tablespoons water OR 2 Tablespoons of heavy cream
**The caramel sauce hardens to the consistency of caramel apples. If you desire softer caramel sauce simply add 1 more tablespoon of water OR heavy cream**

Melt unwrapped caramels and water (OR heavy cream) in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly until all of the caramels are completely melted.
OR
Microwave unwrapped caramels in a microwaveable bowl on high for 2 1/2 - 3 minutes, stirring every minute (If your microwave cooks food faster than the average microwave, like ours does, stir every 30 seconds).

When the cookies are completely cooled drizzle the hot caramel sauce over them. Cool completely before serving. Use excess caramel sauce for caramel apples...yum! Store any uneaten cookies in refrigerator with waxed paper between layers of cookies in a sealed container. Let stand at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy with your family and friends!