Try this Apple and Salted Caramel Cookie Cups recipe
- Carbohydrate 0.119175000108676 g
- Cholesterol 427.043750389421 mg
- Fat 161.104737646911 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 1.68831250153957 g
- Saturated Fat 102.029690093041 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (269g)
- Sodium 1144.67250104278 mg
- Sugar 0.119175000108676 g
- Trans Fat 11.2779275102843 g
- Calories 1424 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Combine cookie mix, butter, water and egg in KitchenAid stand mixer bowl. Mix well to combine thoroughly.
- Using small cookie scoop, place about a tablespoon of cookie dough in lined mini muffin tin sections.
- Bake cookies in oven 10-12 minutes.
- Remove cookies from oven, and using the rounded handle of a wooden spoon push down the cookie to form a well. Occasionally dip the end of the wooden spoon in turbinado sugar to prevent the baked cookie dough from sticking to the spoon. Set cookie cups aside to cool.
- In a large saucepan melt butter over medium heat.
- Add diced apples and turbinado sugar to melted butter and stir to coat.
- Simmer apples on medium heat to cook and allow sugar to caramelize, about 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not overcook apples and sugar.
- Remove cookie cups from mini muffin tins and set on parchment paper or on cookie rack.
- Remove apple mixture from heat, cool slightly, and carefully spoon about 1½ teaspoons into each cookie cup.
- Drizzle each apple filled cookie cup with your favorite salted caramel sauce and serve.
Operating within standard equipment limits requires only a mini muffin tin and a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Combining oatmeal cookie mix with butter, water, and an egg creates a cohesive dough that holds its shape during baking at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Pressing the rounded handle of a wooden spoon into the baked dough immediately after the 10 to 12 minute oven window forms a structural indentation before the starches cool and set. Dipping that wooden spoon handle into turbinado sugar prevents hot dough from sticking to the wood.
Flavor Chemistry
Simmering diced apples with butter and turbinado sugar for 7 to 10 minutes induces the Maillard reaction alongside caramelization, building deep butterscotch notes that contrast with the fresh fruit pectin. Combining high-heat sugar reduction with the salinity of caramel sauce balances the inherent sweetness of the oatmeal base.
- Double batches require mixing the dough in two separate batches if exceeding standard stand mixer capacities.
- Underbaking by one minute prevents the cookie cups from shattering when forming the central well.
- Cooling the cooked apple mixture slightly before spooning prevents thermal shock to the baked base.
