Salted Caramel Buckeye Cookies

Buckeyes are part of the chestnut family, but in nature, they inedible due to the high tannic acid content.  In fact, most people "oil" and collect them much as they would fine furniture!  They are considered good luck in many cultures.

I made these cookies as a special gift for my grandson Ari and his Dad who will be moving back to Ohio later this month after spending the last ten months in Madrid, Spain.  Matt has been offer a position at Oberlin College and having grown up in Cleveland, this will be a great opportunity for both he and Ari. 

Most recipes for buckeyes are as a candy; made with peanut butter and confectioners' sugar, then dipped in chocolate.  My recipe, which is a cookie, also pays tribute to one of Seattle's favorite treats--salted caramel.  Kelly and I loved these from our favorite Chocolatier,  Fran's and could easily devour a box;-) 

Salted Caramel Buckeye Cookies
1 cup + 2T (2 sticks +2T) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. caramel extract

 
1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
pinch of salt

Caramel bits (or you can cut a Kraft caramel square into fourths)
6 oz. semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, melted in a double boiler for dipping
Sea salt

Preheat oven to 350F-degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter, scrapping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Add the sugars and cream until fluffy--3 to 5 minutes.  Add the extracts and pinch of salt and mix once more.

Add the cocoa and flour and with the mixer on low speed, gently incorporate...you don't want to be wearing it;-D

Use a "teaspoon" size scoop to measure up the dough.  Add a caramel bit or quarter into the center and enclose.  Roll into a ball and place on the prepared baking sheet.

 Bake in preheated oven for 9 minutes, until set.  It's hard to tell with chocolate dough--look for the cookie to have "dried" on top.  Let set about 5 minutes, then, transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

 Melt chopped chocolate in a double boiler, reserving about 3 tablespoons of chocolate to "temper" it.
Dip tops of the cookie in the melted chocolate and let set.  If you've tempered correctly, the melted chocolate should set in about 10 minutes and have a nice, glossy appearance.  Sprinkle a few granules of sea salt on top and let dry completely.

The addition of the caramel gives these cookies an elegant flavor and a little surprise in the center!  They set in about 10 minutes and I was ready to pack them up to go in my last box to Spain!

We're all looking forward to having Kelly's guys back in the States and I'm looking forward to not having to ship to Spain. LOL!  Enjoy!