Any cookie that has a caramel center is my jam, so when we made this apple cider caramel cookies recipe, I was in heaven! I love all the tasty fall flavors and pretty much anything caramel (our Rolo Cookies Recipe is also stuffed with delicious caramel too!).
Even though the flavors of this caramel-stuffed cookies recipe might sound complicated, don’t worry! The ingredients are straightforward and a lot easier than you might think!
The ingredients for this recipe can all be found at your local grocery store, so make sure you take a look at the ingredients to be able to make these alpine apple cider recipe cookies soon! I think they might even be the best apple dessert.
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make Apple Cider Caramel Cookies, you will need the following ingredients:
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Alpine spiced apple cider instant original drink mix
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- All-purpose flour
- Kraft Caramels
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
How To Make Apple Cider Caramel Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350 ℉ (190 ℃). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper (trust me – this will keep your caramel from sticking to your pan!).
- In a stand mixer, cream together butter, sugar, salt, and all 10 packets of apple cider mix until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract, then mix in the baking soda and baking powder. Add the flour and mix until just combined.
- With a standard (size 50) cookie scoop, scoop the dough scrapping off the excess as you go up the bowl. Flatten the dough slightly in your hand and place a caramel in the center. Work the dough around the caramel, making sure that it seals well and the caramel is completely covered. Place the cookies 2-3 inches apart on the sheets.
- Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown around the edges, but making sure to not overcook them. After baking, carefully remove the parchment paper with the cookies onto the counter. Let cool until they are no longer soft but still slightly warm. Lift gently to remove, and cool the rest of the way upside down on the parchment or on a cooling rack.
- These are delicious if you warm them up in the microwave for a few seconds after the cookies have cooled down (I usually do it for less than 10 seconds and it seems to be perfect!).
Storage and Other Tips
If you manage to not eat the whole tray of cookies immediately, these (cookie name) store well. Once cookies have completely cooled, here is how you can store them:
- Counter: Store in an airtight container in a single layer for up to 4 days at room temperature. If you want to try and get the cookies to last even longer without becoming crumbly cookies, add a slice of bread into the container of cookies. The bread will give the cookies something to draw moisture from.
- Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container in a single layer for up to 7 days in a refrigerator.
- Freezer: You can freeze precooked cookie dough for cookies later. Just roll out and freeze for 30 minutes, and then transfer to an airtight, freezer safe bag for up to 3 months. To store cooked cookies, let them cool completely before you put them in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.
Do You Really Use the Whole Box of Apple Cider Packets in this Recipe?
Yes! This is the exact box we used of Alpine spiced apple cider. You will want to use all 10 packets that come in the box. We have not made this with the sugar-free kind and aren’t sure if it will taste the same/bake the same. We recommend just using the original variety.
Homemade Caramels – Yum!
For simplicity, we love to use the Kraft caramel candies in this recipe, but you can always make your own caramels! The process to make caramels actually isn’t as hard as you might think!
Enjoy More Delicious Cookie Recipes
There’s nothing like homemade cookies that the whole family will love. Check out our comprehensive collection of cookie recipes here.
Apple Cider Caramel Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (unsalted), nearly melted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 7.4 ounces Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink Mix* , 1 box – you will use all 10 packets
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 3 cup all-purpose flour
- 14 ounces Kraft Caramels, 1 bag, unwrapped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 ℉ (190 ℃). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper (trust me – this will keep your caramel from sticking to your pan!).
- In a stand mixer, cream together butter, sugar, salt, and all 10 packets of apple cider mix until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract, then mix in the baking soda and baking powder. Add the flour and mix until just combined.
- With a standard (size 50) cookie scoop, scoop the dough scrapping off the excess as you go up the bowl. Flatten the dough slightly in your hand and place a caramel in the center. Work the dough around the caramel, making sure that it seals well and the caramel is completely covered. Place the cookies 2-3 inches apart on the sheets.
- Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown around the edges, but making sure to not overcook them. After baking, carefully remove the parchment paper with the cookies onto the counter. Let cool until they are no longer soft but still slightly warm. Lift gently to remove, and cool the rest of the way upside down on the parchment or on a cooling rack.
- These are delicious if you warm them up in the microwave for a few seconds after the cookies have cooled down (I usually do it for less than 10 seconds and it seems to be perfect!).
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
What a fun little surprise to bite into that! Thanks for sharing!
These Cookies look so good! YUM!
Hello! Just wanted to let you know I’m passing on the Versatile Blogger Award to you, check out my latest post for more information. Have fun!!
Yum! These are such beautiful cookies and they sound delicious. 🙂
These are sooo good!
These look amazing! I’m going to have to try them this week! Visiting from Tatertots and Jello 🙂
Boy do I love caramel. These look so YUM! I made caramel apple bites this year and couldn’t leave them alone. This recipe is a keeper for sure!
These look yummy! Can’t wait to make them! I have 4 sisters and we live all of the country. Your blog made me smile and think of my sisters!
Sisters rock!
I can’t wait to have these at thanksgiving. Thanks for all of the wonderful ideas!
Going to make these right now…
i made these yesterday and they turned out great!
i was a little worried initially because the cookie flattened out but the caramel didn’t melt, but it eventually did. on my second batch i flattened the caramels first and it spread the caramel a little more evenly throughout the cookie.
yum! thanks! =)
I just found this site and I LOVE it!! Fun recipes!
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I made these yesterday for Thanksgiving. So delicious! They remind me of those green apple suckers that are dipped in caramel. Yum! Thanks for the great recipe!
Made these cookies tonight for a holiday cookie exchange. Turned out great!
Love em! Love em! (Did I mention I love them?)
How many Cookies does this recipie make? Looks Delish, thanks for sharing! 😀 Merry Christmas!
We are making these today as part of our 25 Days of Christmas Cookies. Can’t wait!
http://25daysofyum.blogspot.com/
@Eme,
This recipe makes about 50 cookies!
The Ellis’ Thanks So much! I need to make 4 doz cookies for the Stake Christmas Concert this weekend! I think I’m going to make these! They look so delish! 😀 Merry Christmas!
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I’d like to make these tonight. Do you think they will keep alright until Christmas? Any tips on storing them?
@Anonymous,
I think these would keep just fine. After they are completely cool, I would store them in an air tight container and freeze them. Just be sure to get them out a day before or so, so the caramel inside has time to thaw.
These are amazing cookies. I made 2 batches tonight for friends and family for the holidays. So good and very easy to make!
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I just made these for a cookie exchange! I already had some Kraft unwrapped caramel bits, so I just folded those in to the mix and it turned out great! Probably not as fun as one big caramel surprise in the middle :), but just wanted to share that it worked!
Thanks so much for the recipe! I found y’all through Pinterest and I’ll DEFINITELY be back!
Let me just say: these were AMAZING!! I will definitely be putting this blog high on my list of favorites. 🙂
I did make a couple modifications to my second batch because I didn’t like the way the caramel was all in the center and bubbling through the top and squeezing out the bottom. To overcome that problem, I cut the caramels into four smaller pieces which really turned out well. Just for kicks, I also did a little extra apple cider powder (I bought the big container instead of the packets) and did 2.5 cups of flour so they’d be just a teensy bit gooier and a little more tart. Finally, I liked putting a little granulated sugar on top just to give them a little more pop!
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!! They will definitely be a keeper!
These cookies turned out GREAT!! I would definitely recommend 1/2 cup less flour, squished caramel, and sprinkling sugar on top.. They’re EVEN BETTER that way, thanks for the tip Elizabeth! These are, as stated, a keeper!
I tried this recipe a few days ago, and they were amazing!! The cookies came out delicious, and my husband and roomies were giving me hugs for making the house smell so good!
They also taste much better the next couple of days, if you reheat them for about 4 minutes at 200 degrees. Just enough to melt the caramel without drying the cookie or turning the caramel into molten lava.
I do like the idea of these cookies, but wasn’t crazy about the fact that the caramel hardened back up once the cookies were cool and made it very chewy and difficult to eat. Next time I will just make them without the caramel until I can find a different kind of caramel that will be creamy rather than chewy.
These cookies were a hit! I made them for a party and only had a couple left! One thing I would like to say is that i’m going to try a different method of shaping them. I’m going to roll out the dough and the caramels, and cut out the dough with a cutter and make them like a sandwich, because there was too big of a glob of caramel in the middle instead of being spread out like I thought they would. Otherwise…. YUMMY!
Thanks for this – I made them yesterday too and had the same problem with the caramel – also, I found that the dough was really runny???
Lots to say, lots to say – I tried making these last night. First of all, I didn’t use butter because all I had was “butter” (aka vegetable based nastiness that never does well in baking). The batter was very runny, (I’m attributing that to the fake butter), and I couldn’t form it around the caramels. I tried to bake them – they really didn’t turn out, but the “cookie-like” thing that came out TASTED great, (did I mention I had no parchment paper either?) I decided to put the batter in the fridge and go drink beer with my husband – thankfully I didn’t drink too much beer, so this morning I was feeling good and ready to have at it again – my batter became WAY more workable from the time-out I gave it in the fridge. I chopped the little caramels into four piece, (per advice above), and OH – EM – GEE….these are AWESOME! So worth all the extra labor I had to go through…sort of like my daughter. Thanks for the very cool (gooey/delicious) recipe 🙂
what happens if you use the sugar free cider mix?
These look wonderful! What a great cookie to kick off fall!
Hi,
I am not sure! I have never tried it. You’ll have to let us know how it goes!
Do you know if these cookies are good enough to ship overseas?
If it took more than 5 days I would say no. They would be pretty stale by then. Hope this helps!
I’ve never heard of Alpine Spice Apple Cider so I did an internet search. Anyone know why it costs $30 to $50 a box??? I was expecting a price along the lines of Nestle hot cocoa. Yeah, like $5.00. Especially if they don’t turn out well. I’m very curious.
I got the apple cider mix at a grocery store for less than 3.00. It’s with the hot chocolate/tea section
Great idea of stuffing the caramel inside the cookie, I can’t wait to try!
that is probably a bulk package – I got mine from Wal-mart for $2.00
I made these for a bake sale table this past weekend and they went like wildfire! Of course I had to try one so I could let people know how awesomely good they were!
SO good! I think next time I’m going to try the sugar free apple cider mix and use a little less granulated sugar. The cookie and caramel combo was just a little too sweet for me. But that hasn’t stopped me from devouring them =)
Saw these on Pinterest and being the first week of fall I had to make them. YUM! Although I made my first batch too big, is it possible to have too big a cookie? 😉 I made the second batch smaller. Very tasty cookies, thank you for sharing.
amazing! love them. I also used less flour and it will not make 50 cookies. Impossible to stick to a tablespoon and all of that caramel. I also cut my caramel up, but I am not sure that helped anything since I didn’t try them another way.
Con: These take a little extra time than an average cookie.
I made these today and they were *so* yummy. I’ve never tasted a cookie like them before (and I’ve eaten a *lot* of cookies). The dough needed to be refrigerated for a while because it was too soft to form around the caramels, but other than that the recipe worked great. I think next time I’d roll them in sugar before baking to make them a little sparkly. But definitely a wonderful autumn treat!
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Made these for our Supper Club tonight. Theme was apples and the cookies were a huge hit. One member deemed them “best cookies EVER!”
I did not have the runny dough issue, nor did I find them to be all that time intensive. The dough itself is super fast to make and it really doesn’t take that long to unwrap the caramels then wrap them in dough. No cookie scoop here so I just grabbed about a walnut size of dough and smushed it around the caramel.
NOTE: I did flatten the caramel on about half and not on the other half. The flattened caramel cookies were definitely preferred. It was easy, I just flattened between my palms before grabbing dough.
This made 32 large cookies for me.
Hi, I made these cookies today after seeing the post on Pinterest by my niece. Here are my comments. First, they are yummy and everyone who has tasted them so far has agreed that this is one fine cookie. Second, I made them exactly as the recipe stated, with no changes to the ingredients. I found the Alpine Cider mix at my local Food Lion for about $2.50 for the box of 10 packages. Third, chilling the dough for about 30 minutes makes it easier to wrap it around the caramels, and fourth, flouring your hands prevents the cookies from sticking to them. I used a #70 cookie scoop and then added just a little more dough. Once I got the dough around the caramel I rolled them between my palms to smooth them out and spread the dough out evenly around the caramel. No need to flatten the caramels…by the time they come out of the oven they are melted and nice and flat. My yield was about 60 cookies…good thing I bought 2 packages of caramels! Would recommend these to anyone.
Hi, I made these cookies today after seeing the post on Pinterest by my niece. Here are my comments. First, they are yummy and everyone who has tasted them so far has agreed that this is one fine cookie. Second, I made them exactly as the recipe stated, with no changes to the ingredients. I found the Alpine Cider mix at my local Food Lion for about $2.50 for the box of 10 packages. Third, chilling the dough for about 30 minutes makes it easier to wrap it around the caramels, and fourth, flouring your hands prevents the cookies from sticking to them. I used a #70 cookie scoop and then added just a little more dough. Once I got the dough around the caramel I rolled them between my palms to smooth them out and spread the dough out evenly around the caramel. No need to flatten the caramels…by the time they come out of the oven they are melted and nice and flat. My yield was about 60 cookies…good thing I bought 2 packages of caramels! Would recommend these to anyone.
Do you remember how many caramel bits you used?
I am new to baking and had a couple of technical difficulties. I’m hoping someone here can help! 🙂 I made the cookies according to the recipe. I did flatten the caramels as i had seen mentioned in some of the comments. The taste of the cookies is great! However, the bottoms of my cookies burned to black before the top/edges looked golden. On some the cookies, they weren’t even done all the way and the bottoms were still burnt. I don’t think it’s the recipe at all; it’s me being a novice in the kitchen. I’d love to learn how to improve if anyone has any ideas/suggestions about where I went wrong. Thanks!
Hello- I would first try moving your rack up in the oven. Sometimes the heat is stronger on the bottom. Also, you can lower the temp of the oven a little- maybe 25 to 50 degrees and bake a little longer. Everyone’s oven is different.
I also made the cookies, and they burned on the bottom. I think it was just that they did not need to be in my oven as long as its recommended in the recipe here.
Good luck with your baking 🙂
Loved these cookies 🙂 I accidently bought the sugar free packets… which also weigh a lot less than the 7.4 ounces recommended (probably because they have no sugar). However, I used 20 packets which was only about 3 ounces and added 1/2 cup of sugar.It came out perfectly! Strong flavor and sweet!
I stumbled upon this recipe via another blog and just had to check it out. My DH is a ginormous cookie lover. His nickname, Cookie Monster. I’m gonna have to give these a try this fall. Now following!
Cathy Kennedy’s Blog
For me, it only made 30 and I had to add 1/4 cup of milk, the batter dried up as I added the flour.
Hey Shenay!
They are so good! I am sure anyone overseas would just love them. 🙂
I think I am going to try to make these for a bake sale next week. I am going to also make another batch using cinnamon chips I bought at the grocery store – instead of the caramel. I love apple and cinnamon together as well. Curious which will be better. I will have to let you know. 🙂
Ils sont terriblement gourmands
Bonne journée
Valérie
I made these and they turned out great! The only thing I did differently was used caramel bits (you can find them in the baking aisle with the choc. chips and such)..so much easier than unwrapping caramels and flattening them. I just put about 5-6 little “bits” in each dough ball.
what is meant by “nearly melted” butter. Softened to room temperature? If softer than that, how do you accomplish this??
Help! I am dying to make these for a party tomorrow but I can’t find the apple cider mix anywhere! I’ve tried 3 stores and no luck. Any suggestions for a substitute? Could I somehow use apple sauce???
I pinned this recipe awhile back and have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to make them. I finally did for a Halloween party last night. I think I may have died and gone to cookie heaven!!! These may be the best and most unique cookies I have made. They belong in a gourmet bakery! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Hi Jenny!
I found the apple cider mix next to the hot chocolate! I haven’t tried substituting it with anything. Sorry I’m not more help!
Hi!
I usually just put my butter in a bowl and microwave for about 30-40 seconds, or until the butter is almost all melted but has a little bit in the middle that isn’t completely melted. I hope that makes sense!
They were amazing–thank you for posting this. I’m off to The Cookie Photographer to comment.
ps Thank you for giving the original poster credit!
These are amazing! I just made them and am bringing them to my staff for a job well done.. I think I am going to make another batch for thanksgiving tomorrow. Something that is different and still feels special! We will see if this batch makes it to my staff though. I have already eaten 6 of them!
My cookies turned out heavy and the caramels didn’t melt all that great and they didnt flatten out. They were still big and round. What did I do wrong? Please help, I would like to fix the problem to take them to a cookie exchange at church.
I had the same issue! I only made one tray – so I’m thinking I might add some milk to the dough and give another tray a try (a suggestion in one comment above). To me it seems there is too much flour….
If there is a Kroger near you, I found it next to the tea. Go to product website: http://www.alpinecider.com/ and there is a “where to buy” link at the top.
For those looking for the apple cider mix: If there is a Kroger near you, I found it next to the tea. Go to product website: http://www.alpinecider.com/ and there is a “where to buy” link at the top.
Perfect! Thanks so much for the info! -The Six Sisters
Great suggestions! I had the same issue with the caramel leaking out. I might try using the caramel bits that someone suggested in an earlier post.
These cookies are DELICIOUS! They’re pretty easy to make and turn out great. One thing I found while making them is if you put the caramels in the microwave for about 15 seconds and sort of flatten them before you fold the dough around them helps a lot. I didn’t have any bumps or anything. Thanks for the great recipe!!
These cookies were a big hit in our house. I made them with all of ingredients you used and microwaved the caramels first to soften and then flatten them. It made 48 cookies. My daughter told me not to lose this recipe. It’s been saved and I printed a hard copy as well. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe!
I made these for a pot luck at work and they were the first thing gone! I am now volunteered to make these for all of the parties coming up for the rest of the year, . Haha! Thank you so much for this delicious recipe!!! I’m making some right now to celebrate the first day of fall.
I’m very excited to make these cookies! But first please advise me on what could I use instead of the apple cider mix, even if i had to make something from scratches. Thank you!
These sound delicious!! Do you think it would be possible to use liquid apple cider? There is a farm that makes the best homemade cider I have ever tasted and Im wondering if I could use that instead of the packets.
Liquid apple cider would not work because it’s all liquid. These cookies need the apple drink powder. But you could make a delicious apple frosting using it! YUM!
I made these tonight using the Carmel bits. They are wonderful. I used the whole bag of bits and dipped them in sugar before baking. My dough was very stiff, can’t figure out why people said the dough was runny? I used butter that was just soft not melted. I will be making them again.
After a few fresh, warm bites of these, I decided they are a new favorite cookie! However, trying them again the next day, they were not at all pleasant because the carmels hardened right back up to almost rock hard. I’m going to make them with a soft caramel next time–hoping that makes them good even after they cool.
Great recipe!
Can’t wait to try these!
I find the dough is much easier to use with 4 cups of flour. But this is still an amazing recipe. I made these for the members of my churches youth group and everyone lived them.
I am wondering what spice blends you could use to substitute the Apple Cider Powder – and if you would have to add extra sugar if you used something home mate? I am guessing, cinammon, apple pie seasoning… chai seasoning ,maybe even?
Your suggestions will be helpful
I followed the recipe with a few modifications – I flattened the caramels and used a different brand of apple cider mix – and the result was fantastic!
I was fairly generous with the amount of dough I used to wrap the caramels – I didn’t want the caramel to spill out.
I’m not much of a baker but this recipe was easy and I can’t believe how great it turned out!
I have made this before and they are amazing! I am a college student and for the sake of not having to buy flour, sugar, etc I am wondering if anyone has tried it with remade sugar cookie mix? or even the tubes of sugar cookie dough?
Thanks!
I’ve made these in the past and they’re super amazing. The only issue is that they have to be warm otherwise the caramel is too chewy to really be enjoyable in my opinion. I want to make these for a party but have to make them ahead. I wonder if anyone has tried making these with home made caramel. It hardens in the fridge but softens nicely when left out.
How many cookies dos this recipe make?
This recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies.
This recipe is amazing! It’s such a fun, fall cookie- the sour apple flavor makes them so unique for the season. I made a few adjustments and wanted to share.
– I took another comment’s advice and cut the caramel squares into four pieces. It really does help prevent just getting one huge hunk of caramel in the middle of the cookie – the perfect adjustment! Take all four caramel pieces and mix them into the dough ball- or put two inside the dough ball, and push two down from the top of the dough ball so they poke out the top, if you want to see little caramel puddles on the top of the cookie (I think its fun to show off that they’re caramel cookies!)
I like cookies a little more puffy than flat so I
– Used cold butter, cut into small pieces then creamed with sugar.
– Added 2 tbs cornstarch and a little more flour (465 g).
– Refrigerate the dough (helps the dough not get so melty while shaping them)
Fantastic cookies! They’ve been a hit, and my husband has suggested we make them a fall tradition and do them every year. Thanks for the recipe!
Made these cookies exactly as the recipe is written. They came out perfect! Iput the dough in the fridge while I unwrapped the caramels. Not long. I tried the caramel 3
different ways, some according to how others did it. I did use convection bake.
1- I floured my hands. I only had s #30 scoop, but they were the perfect size. I used the whole caramel and wrapped the dough around the caramel. Then rolled in my hands to get them into a ball.
2- I flattened the caramel and wrapped the dough around the
caramel.
3- I used caramel apple Werthers. I kind of squished the end on to make them more rounded. Then followed the same price as #1.
Results:
1- As the cookies were coming, the cookies flattened as they should, except the area where the caramel was. It looked like a great big bubble. However, I left them in and most of the caramel pretty much flattened, leaving a small bump on some cookies. The caramel was a little difficult to bite into and chew. Not impossible, though. 2.9⭐️
2- This process was more difficult to
me as the dough doesn’t wrap around and into a ball, like the others. Just had to wrap around the caramel and kind of seal the edges. The caramel is spread throughout the cookie, but you don’t get the caramel taste. 2.5 ⭐️
1- The Werthers are a softer caramel. They spread a bit in the cookie. A lot easier to eat and these caramels added so much to the flavor. 5+⭐️
I WILL be making these cookies, again. If I can find the Brach’s Milk Maid caramels I will try them.
Hi. How far in advance could I make these? Best way to store?
Thank you 😊
You can make these a few days in advance. After they are completely cool, I would store them in an air tight container and freeze them. Just be sure to get them out a day before or so, so the caramel inside has time to thaw.