Caramel-Filled Chocolate Cookies

Yield: 4 dozen

Ingredients

• 1  cup  butter or margarine, softened
• 1  cup  sugar
• 1  cup  firmly packed brown sugar
• 2  large eggs
• 2  teaspoons  vanilla extract
• 2 1/4  cups  all-purpose flour
• 3/4  cup  unsweetened cocoa
• 1  teaspoon  baking soda
• 1  cup  chopped pecans, divided
• 6  (2-ounce) packages chocolate-caramel cookie bars, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1  tablespoon  sugar
• 2  (2-ounce) vanilla bark coating squares

Preparation

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla, beating until blended after each addition.

Combine flour, cocoa, and soda; add to butter mixture, beating at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in 1/2 cup pecans. Shape 1 tablespoon dough around each candy piece, covering completely, to form balls.

Combine remaining 1/2 cup pecans and 1 tablespoon sugar. Gently press the top of each ball into pecan mixture. Place balls, pecan sides up, 2 inches apart on baking sheets.

Bake at 375° for 7 to 10 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 2 minutes. Remove from baking sheets; cool completely on wire racks.

Melt coating squares in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Drizzle over cookies.

NOTE: For testing purposes only, we used Twix Caramel Cookie Bars.