Fall is just around the corner and with it comes all things cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and apple flavored. From the brisk autumn breeze to the orchards full of apples ripe for picking, you know you can’t resist the wonders that await in this beautiful season. It’s time to trade that iced coffee for hot tea, and those cold summer salads for warm entrées. These Apple Butter Caramel Snickerdoodles are exactly the treat you’ll want to enjoy on the front porch, as the fall breeze quietly rustles colorful fall leaves across your lawn.
What You’ll Need
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon apple pie spice
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup apple butter
36 soft caramels, unwrapped
¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Whisked Away
To begin, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cream of tartar, apple pie spice, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon and mix using a whisk. When the mixture is thoroughly combined, you can set the mixture aside and proceed to mixing the rest of the ingredients. In a separate bowl use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer to combine your butter and 1 ½ cups of sugar. This needs to be worked until it’s light and fluffy! Next, you’ll beat in the eggs. Finally, Turn your mixer to the low setting and work the dry ingredients in. Now, you can take a break! The dough needs to chill for 45 minutes in the freezer, or about 2 hours in the refrigerator. Relax and have a cup of hot apple cider while you wait, or you can start unwrapping your soft caramels to make the assembly process a bit more efficient. In fact, you can sip your hot apple cider while unwrapping your soft caramels. Personally, I couldn’t resist “taste testing” one of those candies just to be sure they were top notch!
Life is What You Bake It
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit and prepare your baking sheet by covering it with parchment paper. If the cookies stick, you might lose your caramel center, so parchment paper is a must have for this recipe. If you can’t get your hands on parchment paper, be sure to thoroughly grease the baking sheet, even if the sheet says it’s non-stick! In a small bowl, whisk together ¼ cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. This will be the coating for your dough balls, so set this aside for later. Now it’s time to assemble your snickerdoodles! You might think it would be difficult to add a delicious caramel center. I was a bit intimidated myself, but the solution is actually so simple! Scoop a ball of cookie dough about 5 centimeters in diameter. Next, flatten the dough into a disc (you can do this with your hands or a rolling pin!) and place one of your soft caramels in the center. Wrap the dough around the caramel, and then roll the combination in your hands to round out the shape of the cookie. Toss the dough ball in the sugar and cinnamon combination and then place it on the baking sheet. Be sure to place the dough balls about 2 inches apart so they have room to flatten and spread out. The recipe should yield about 3 dozen Apple Butter Caramel Snickerdoodles! The cookies should bake for about 15 minutes, or until they reach a light golden color. Leave them to cool at least 2-3 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack.
For Goodness Bakes!
Once your snickerdoodles have cooled, you can store them in an airtight container to maintain their freshness. I like to pop my snickerdoodle into the microwave for about 10 seconds to remelt the caramel for an extra gooey and delicious treat! Enjoy your freshly baked warm snickerdoodles with friends and family in the subtle chill of the fall breeze. These treats will warm your belly and your heart!
