Caramel-Dipped Cookie Pops

Ingredients

• ½ cup butter, softened
• ¼ cup confectioners' sugar
• ¼ cup packed brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 48 round wooden toothpicks
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1 (11 ounce) package caramel bits (such as Kraft®)
• 2 tablespoons water

Step 1

Heat your oven to 350°F and lightly grease a couple of baking sheets. In a bowl, cream together the butter, confectioners’ sugar, brown sugar, and a pinch of salt until everything feels light and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla, mixing until smooth. Then, gradually blend in the flour until you have a smooth dough, folding in the chocolate chips last.

Step 2

Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and space them about 2 inches apart on your prepared sheets. Pop them in the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they’re set. As soon as they come out, gently press a round toothpick into the center of each cookie, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 3

While the cookies cool, pour the pecans into a shallow bowl and lay out some wax paper on your counter. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together the caramels and water until the caramels melt and you get a smooth sauce—this usually takes about 3 to 5 minutes.

Step 4

Now for the fun part: grab a cookie by the toothpick and dip it right into the warm caramel, turning it around so it’s fully coated. Let the extra caramel drip back into the pan, then immediately roll the bottom and sides in the pecans. Set the cookie on the wax paper to let everything firm up. Keep going until all your cookies are dipped and ready to enjoy!