So who else is sloshing in the rain? It has been crazy weather here in the OC! Guess it’s better than the snow, but I miss the sunshine.
So, hope you don’t mind me taking this short break from my healthy dinner recipes for an ultra rich and dreamy not so bad for you cookie 🙂 I am also practicing with my digital SLR camera that has been tucked away in my closet because I’ve been too afraid to figure it out. You’ll see me playing around with my camera in this post as I snapped pictures of almost each step. I do know you guys know how to make cookies!!
I thought it would be fun to experiment with a “Caramel Apple” cookie. Yes, the experiment was a success! Soft, chewy and caramel apple delish. Can’t wait to hear what ya’ll think about them. We’ve been snacking on these the last couple days and have them nearly gone! I used a white whole wheat flour from King Arthur brand Flour. It is probably my most favorite flour ever. It’s got all the healthiness of whole wheat flour but is lighter in texture and color. Pick up a bag next time you need one. I added a little flax seed meal which worked nicely in this cookie, you don’t even know it’s there. If you wish to leave it out, just add flour in it’s place. I highly recommend it though. I also used coconut oil for half the butter, which I LOVE in cookies, you must try it!! Sheesh with all these “good for you ingredients” in here, we should eat these darn cookies everyday!
Hope you all enjoy, come back soon 🙂
Break out the kitchenAid folks!
playing with my camera……sugar 🙂
Here is the coconut oil I used, I believe I bought it at Sprouts. Any healthy type grocery store will carry it.
Dice your apples nice and small, but not too small. About 1/4 inch was perfect.
Unwrap 10 Kraft caramels, add 1 Tablespoon of milk, then melt in microwave until soft enough to stir smooth
tada!
I added the caramel right after the eggs and vanilla, slowly.
Caramel Apple N’ Chocolate Chip Cookies
1/2 Cup coconut oil
1 stick softened butter (if you want to use all butter and no coconut oil, use 2 sticks of butter)
3/4 Cup granulated sugar
3/4 Cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1 Gala apple, peeled and diced
10 Kraft caramels unwrapped
1 Tablespoon milk
2 Cups King Arthur’s white whole wheat flour (if you are going using white all purpose flour instead, make it 2 1/4 Cups)
1/2 Cup flax seed meal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 Cups chocolate chips
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream coconut oil, and butter until well combined. Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla until well combined.
2. Place caramels and milk into a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 60 seconds or until caramels start to bubble and can be stirred smooth. Slowly add to the wet ingredients on low speed following the diced apples.
3. Place flour, flax seed meal, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Add to wet ingredients following chocolate chips until just combined on low speed.
4. Scoop dough onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet with a medium cookie scoop about 1 inch apart. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until edges just begin to brown. Remove and let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
makes about 3 dozen cookies
Caramel Apple N' Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1 stick softened butter if you want to use all butter and no coconut oil, use 2 sticks of butter
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 Gala apple peeled and diced
- 10 Kraft caramels unwrapped
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 2 cups King Arthur's white whole wheat flour if you are going to use white all-purpose flour instead, make it 2 1/4 cups
- 1/2 cup flax seed meal
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream coconut oil, and butter until well combined. Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla until well combined.
- Place caramels and milk into a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 60 seconds or until caramels start to bubble and can be stirred smooth. Slowly add to the wet ingredients at low speed following the diced apples.
- Place flour, flaxseed meal, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Add to wet ingredients following chocolate chips until just combined on low speed.
- Scoop dough onto a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet with a medium cookie scoop about 1 inch apart. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown. Remove and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
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Have a wonderful weekend 🙂 We’ll be swimming in this rain!
Just made this evening, and everyone loved them. My 11 year old son just told me that besides no-bake cookies, these are his fave!! Mine were falling apart too, like Marisa I didn’t have the coconut oil so I used two sticks of butter, maybe that’s it? It didn’t matter, these were so good we ate them and they were great!!
Hi Jenny… I agree… all this rain makes me want to BAKE COOKIES! Alas, I had to slog through it to get to work. At least I work in FV near where I live. Thanks for this great recipe. I just found your blog and really am enjoying it!
Glad to have you Joyce! So glad the rain has passed for the weekend 🙂 Have a nice Sunday!!
Absolutely love your site. Look forward to new postings. Your photos and recipes are incredible. I took the mummy hotdogs to a Halloween party and everyone LOVED them. Great ideas.
oh my, that is so tasty looking! I’m a sucker for caramels!
Just made them today…they turned out different, probably cuase I am missing all the healthy stuff (shamful I know) BUT I can’t even taste the flax seed. I also added 1/4 of a carmel cube for kicks.
Fill me in…whats the point of flax seed? what does it do for us?
To make it even healthier – but still yummy, you can substitute honey or agave nectar for both the white and brown sugars. You should also use the highest percent of cocao dark chocolate chips – usually ghiradeli brand. Every little bit helps!
Caramel in any cookie just has to be a great big plus! Love this recipe.
(Wish I had a new camera!)
We’ve been getting some serious rain in the Vegas valley too! Tea and blankets won’t do; I need sugary hot cocoa on days like these!
Anyways, cookies look delish! Have fun with your camera – I want a DSLR badly!
I LOVE carmel apples and cookies so I may have to make these. We are trying to stay dry. Also in the OC. It was getting nasty out there wasn’t it. It’s OK for now…
And my thumb looks like yours. LOL I should just grab some nail polish remover but I keep forgetting, until I take pics. LOL
Jenny,
Thanks for this yummy healthy cookie recipe. I am on a healthy path this year and at times I still need some sweet. My husband is salivating next to me. I better get to the store. Don’t float away this weekend, hopefully that rain will let up.
Totally not the point of this post, but I love that you have chipped nail polish on your thumb nail! LOL I feel like you’re a friend& not a hoity-toity, intangible food blogger! (I’m a mom of 4 little ones under 6 so I’m right there with you – no time for mommy to *always* be prim & proper! LOL)
LOL Michelle! Funny, I meant to write “don’t mind my crappy nail polish” in my write up, but totally forgot! Yes, wish I had more time for manicures, but doesn’t always happen!!! Sad that’s my nail polish from Christmas!
What a great idea for a cookie. I love the white WW and the flax in there. a perfectly healthy cookie to me! 🙂
Oh my goodness, I had no idea you lived in Orange County, too! I’m not kidding – small world, right?
That one post where you breifly mentioned your cool new cake stand you got from Marshall’s…I had just gone to Marshall’s a week or so before that, and saw that same one!
Oh good! So glad you found one. I saw some really cute ones at TJ Maxx Home Goods last weekend too. Picked up a cute red one I’ll be using soon 🙂
My boys and I are eating the cookies right now. Yummy, but for some reason my cookies are falling apart. Anyone else have this problem? Maybe I should add a little more flour next time.
Hmmm, just made a third batch tonight and no falling apart. I’m trying to think what may have caused that for you? Did you use the exact recipe I have printed?
I didn’t have coconut oil so I used 2 sticks of butter but everything else is the same. Despite falling apart they are yummy! My 4 yo keeps asking for more. The only thing I can think of was that I bought jumbo eggs by mistake so maybe with the larger eggs I should have used a little more flour.
Hey there.. how are you? How was your holiday? Gosh.. this post really reminded me that need to pick up some good vanilla again.
Craving some right now! Are you in California? Or is the rain pouring everywhere? (except here – we’re getting snow!)
Sweet! I just bought a bag of caramels on clearance at Target today and wasn’t quite sure what I would use them for. Now I know…
The name itself caught my eye. I don’t think i’ve ever had cookies with apple bits in them. Unique, will have to try.
Not only has it been raining all week (i live in the OC too- HB to be exact, so hiiii), but whats up with the tornado warning we got earlier this week?!
Yi Yen,
I know, I was so nervous about those tornado warnings I took my boys out of school a little early!! Hope you keep dry, this is horrible!!
Jenny, you are seriously brilliant! LOVE this recipe and can’t wait to try it! I too am sloshing around in the rain and need something sweet and fast! Thanks for this recipe!
Oh my goodness- Kevin *loves* caramel apples- I think he would faint if I made these!!! 🙂
Lol! you’ll have to let me know if you make them for him. My family really enjoyed them even with all the healthy ingredients 🙂
I’ve been reading your photography tips Amanda! Printed them out, they are really helpful. Can’t wait to get some cool lens’ soon! Gave a great day 🙂
I love the step by step pictures. The first sugar picture is cool. Also, the ingredients in this recipe look amazing!
These look wonderful! I think with all the healthy ingredients you can definitely eat more without feeling so guilty. Plus rainy weather always makes me want to sanck more! Stay safe out of the crazy weather!
Thanks Krystle, luckily the rain is pretty light so far!
What wonderful looking cookies!
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Looks really good. Love the step by step pics 🙂
Never thought to combine those two. They look delicious!
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These cookies look awesome! I love caramel apples, so putting those ingredients into a chocolate chip cookie is bound to be delicious. I love your step by step pictures! I would be intimidated by one of those fancy cameras too but it looks like you’ve got it down 🙂
I bet these are yummmmmmm. I might try these, but with white chips! Thanks, great recipe and pictures, as always!
Too funny, Jenny. Amidst all the healthy food lately, I posted pound cake today. Great minds think alike, huh? The photos look great! Have a great day.
I LOVE the addition of caramel and apple to this cookie! It sounds delicious!
Hey it is somewhat healthy since you used coconut oil! I love coconut oil – just got some coconut oil spray that I’ve been using in place of Pam. So good!
Looks so good Jenny! I like to use the King Arthur White Whole Wheat too. Easy way to make healthy without complaints from the peanut gallery!