Caramel Macchiato Cookies

Can you say YUM!? These are simply delicious! It has a hint of coffee flavor in the cookie with just enough caramel and chocolate to sweeten the deal. I've only made them once, but this is definitely one of my favorites.

What you need:
2 tsp. of  instant coffee
1 pouch  of Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
1/4 cup of flour
1/4 cup margarine or butter
2 tsp. of vanilla
1 egg
18 caramels, unwrapped
2 Tbl. of milk
1/2 cup of semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. of shortening (or oil)

What to do:
Heat the oven to 375'F. Take out a large bowl and dissolve the instant coffe in two tablespoons of hot water. (Make sure the water is really hot, not tap hot. If you still have granules after mixing, it's not hot enough. Try again.)

Normally, I'm against using instant cookie mix, but in this case, I give it the thumbs up. Pour it into the same bowl as the coffee, mix in the flour, margarine, vanilla, and egg. Stir it until it looks like cookie dough. You don't need a mixer for this one, hand stirring will work just as well and is easier to clean up.

When you're ready, shape the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls and place them on your stone cookie sheet (or an ungreased cookie sheet if you don't own stoneware) about two inches apart. These will spread a lot, so trust me on this one. Use the back of a wooden spoon to make an indentation in the middle of each cookie. I tried my finger and it didn't work as well.

Bake them for 8-10 minutes or until the edges start to brown. When you take them out of the oven, make sure you let them cool on the cookie sheet for two minutes. Even though you will fall in love with the smell at this point, resist the urge to eat them now. It gets better! After two minutes, move them a cooling rack and let them cool completely.

On your counter top or table, roll out some paper towels, then place the cookies on them about an inch a part. This will make clean up a cinch.

In a microwaveable bowl, melt the caramel and milk uncovered on high for 1 minute. When it beeps, take it out and stir it. If it's smooth, you're done. If it's lumpy, put it back in for thirty seconds, then take it out and stir. If it's lumpy, repeat. If not, your done.

Spoon a 1/2 teaspoon of the caramel into the indentation on each cookie. It doesn't have to be exact, just eyeball it. Don't eat any of the caramel until you're done. Again, resist the temptation to eat a cookie now. It still gets better!

In another bowl (or coffee mug), melt the chocolate chips and shortening (or oil) in the microwave on high one one minute. When it beeps, take it out and stir. If it's smooth, you're done. If it's lumpy, microwave it for thirty more seconds, take it out and stir again. Continue doing this until it's not lumpy. Once the chocolate is smooth, test it for drizzle-ability. Dip the spoon in the chocolate, grab some chocolate, lift it above the the bowl and watch it fall back into the bowl. If it's too slow it may clump when you're drizzling and you may need to add more shortening or cookinig oil. When it's perfect, head over to your cookies and begin drizziling it over your cookies. There is no wrong or right way to do this, have some fun with it.

At this point, it's okay to test one out to make sure the quality is up to your standards. Let the rest sit out long enough for the chocolate to set.

When you hand these out, everyone will think you slaved over them for hours and sing you praises. Don't you dare tell them you used a cookie mix!

(Adapted from Betty Crocker Christmas Cookies 74 Recipe Cards All with Photos)