Yes, I realize it may be a bit late to share this recipe with you- but it's so good that I don't even care.
So what caramel apples are no longer "in season?" It's still Fall, and in this house we eat things like pumpkin-spice pancakes all year round. Not because they are festive, but because they are DELICIOUS.
These cookies are much the same. I do like a good caramel apple, but they can be overwhelmingly sweet. That's why I fell in love with these cookies- they have a subtle caramel apple flavor, mellowed out by the oatmeal cookie, and they won't break your teeth.
Lord knows I don't need anymore sweets right now, though. Between the Mini's 5th birthday party filled with cake and cupcakes and now Halloween, I am on sugar overload.
Not all people feel this way, however. The Minion would have tasted every piece of candy he got tonight, if we let him! Must take after his father.
And we did let him eat a lot for a 2 year old, I have to say. But he really rallied... stayed out til after 8, and didn't complain (even though his dragon costume was a bit cumbersome).
"Belle" was equally well-behaved, and I always consider any activity like this to be a wild success if there are no tears.
I believe my insistence on creating two Halloween loving children is working like a charm. Gray's fairly limited 2-year old vocabulary includes words such as witch, zombie, ghost, and skeleton.
Tonight he learned "trick-or-treat" which somehow came out like "Shaky chicken!" Whatever, he still got candy.
They watched the Nightmare Before Christmas and Mini watched Halloweentown, all without nightmares or getting scared. In fact, they loved it so much we carved our pumpkins as Jack Skellington and Oogie Boogie.
We also survived a trip to Spirit of Halloween store which had actual jumping spiders that nearly gave *me* a heart attack!
We also survived a trip to Spirit of Halloween store which had actual jumping spiders that nearly gave *me* a heart attack!
Yes, I'm grooming my Halloween minions well. Muah ha ha!
Caramel Apple Oatmeal Cookies
1/2 C. butter
1/4 C. granulated sugar
1/2 C. brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 t. vanilla
1 C. all-purpose flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. allspice
1 1/2 C. Rolled oats
3/4 C. Kraft caramel bits
One small apple, peeled, cored, and diced (No less than 1/2 C. but no more than 2/3 C.)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside.
In large bowl or standing mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium speed about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add in egg and vanilla, and beat on high until well combined.
In separate bowl, whisk together all remaining dry ingredients (flour thru oats). Add dry ingredients to wet, and mix thoroughly.
Stir in Caramel pieces and apple, making sure they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Place golf ball sized scoops onto prepared sheets, two inches apart (I would do about 8 per sheet.) Bake for 9-10 minutes or until tops start to turn golden brown. Let rest 3 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. I would recommend using a metal spatula sprayed with a bit of cooking spray if the cookies are not coming off the parchment easily. Makes 18 to 20 cookies.
Adapted from Some the Wiser blog
