Chocolate Surprise Cookies

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa (I used the Special Dark Cocoa.)

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup sugar

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup butter, softened

2 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 cup chopped pecans

48 Rolo Caramel candies

1 Tb sugar

In small bowl, combine flour, cocoa and baking soda; blend well.  In large bowl, beat 1 cup sugar, brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and eggs; beat well.  Add flour mixture; blend well.  Stir in ½ cup pecans.

Heat oven to 375F.  For each cookie, with floured hands shape about 1 tablespoon dough around 1 caramel candy, covering completely.  (I usually make a cookie dough ball, make a thumbprint in the middle, then place the Rolo where my thumb was, and wrap the dough around to close it up completely.  If it’s a little too sticky to handle, try refrigerating it for about 20-30 minutes.)

In small bowl, combine remaining ½ cup pecans and 1 tablespoon sugar.  Press top of each ball into pecan mixture and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375F for 7-10 minutes or until set and slightly cracked.  Cook 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets and cool completely on a wire rack.  Enjoy!  (If all that chocolate, caramel, and pecans aren’t enough for you, you can melt some vanilla chips and drizzle that on top too.  But they’re pretty darn good without it!)

To any average Joe, they look just like Chocolate Crinkle cookies, but when you bite in you’ll find a delicious caramel filling!

(This recipe comes from here:  Pillsbury: Best of the Bake-Off Cookbook.  It’s fabulous!)

They are so good, that if I didn’t give some away, I’d probably go into a chocolate induced coma so I made a little box and gave some away.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Click on the link to download the notecard pdf.  Cut on the layout lines and fold in half and you’ve got 3 little notecards for almost any occasion!