Caramel Apple Milky Way Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

I just can’t help myself. I see a delicious new food, and I have to stuff it into a cookie. Exhibit A: those Candy Corn Golden Oreo-Stuffed Pumpkin Cookies I made a few weeks ago. My mind is wired to seek amazing things and figure out how to make them even better. Improvement is my obsession.

When I tried the new Mini Caramel Apple Milky Ways, I was instantly infatuated. It’s my favorite candy bar with a subtle autumn upgrade. But as I stared at my pumpkin-shaped jar of Milky Ways, my head did that thing it always does and started calculating what could be done with them.

These Caramel Apple Milky Way Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies are the product of my mind’s refusal to leave well-enough alone. Sometimes, my mind gets me into trouble that way. But other times, like with these cookies example, I feel like one smart cookie. The Caramel Apple Milky Ways are a natural pairing with these thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies. All of the flavors and textures melt and mesh together, as if the two treats fuse together as one entity while baking. So you get a chewy, gooey, crisp, chocolate-caramel-applely symphony of pure baked bliss. Think of it as a fall twist on your favorite classic treat.

Q: What’s better than candy?

A: Cookies stuffed with candy.

Always.

A Few Tips Before You Get Cooking:

1. There are two things essential to creating a thick and chewy cookie. One, chill the dough. I don’t care how impatient you are; if you don’t chill the dough, it’s too warm, and it spreads out too much while baking, thus making it thin. Two, don’t overbake. You’ll crisp that cookie right up.
2. Quite honestly, you can stuff a chocolate chip cookie with just about anything.
3. Both the cookie dough and the cookies freeze beautifully.
4. I very much believe in using milk chocolate in cookies because it’s so much better tasting than semisweet. If you prefer dark, that works too.

Caramel Apple Milky Way Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Baking Illustrated

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk chocolate chunks
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate or semisweet chips
• 24 mini caramel apple milky ways

Directions:

1. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
2. Either by hand or with an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients while beating at low speed just until combined. Stir in the chips and chunks to taste. Chill the dough in the fridge for at least an hour before continuing. The longer you chill, the more flavor it will garner.
3. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
4. Take about 1 tablespoon worth of dough and flatten in the palm of your hand. Place a Milky Way on top then fold the dough up around it so that the candy is completely covered.
5. Place on baking sheet. Bake cookies 8 – 10 minutes, or until puffed and set in the middle. They should just barely be beginning to brown around the edges.Transfer to wire racks with a spatula to cool.