Caramel Surprise Snickerdoodles

Yield: 20-24 cookies

Prep Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes (includes chilling)

Total Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes

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Cookies

 * 2 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (careful not to over-measure)
 * 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
 * 1 teaspoon baking soda
 * 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
 * 1/2 teaspoon salt
 * 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
 * 1 cup granulated sugar
 * 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
 * 1 large egg, at room temperature
 * 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
 * 12 soft wrapped caramel candies

For Rolling

 * 1/4 cup granulated sugar
 * 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:
Enjoy!
 * 1) For the cookies: Toss the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
 * 2) In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar together until smooth. You must use a whisk in order to prevent the butter from separating. Whisk in the egg, then the vanilla until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together with a large spoon or rubber spatula. The dough will be very thick and heavy, yet slightly crumbly. Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
 * 3) Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
 * 4) Unwrap the caramels and cut each into 4 pieces. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll the dough into balls, about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough each. You'll have about 20-24 balls, give or take. The dough will be crumbly, but the warmth of your hands will allow the balls to stay intact.
 * 5) Please use the visual above to help guide you through this step: Break each dough ball in half. Make a thumbprint into the bottom of one half and press two pieces of caramel inside, as shown above. Smoosh the other half of the dough on top and roll the dough between your hands to make a smooth ball. Make sure the caramels are completely wrapped inside.
 * 6) For the topping: Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Roll each stuffed dough ball into the mixture to coat evenly. Place 10 balls of dough onto each cookie sheet. Bake the cookies for 10-11 minutes. The cookies will look very puffy, soft, and under baked. That's ok. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the cookie sheet for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
 * 7) Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for 1 week. Depending on the caramel you use, it will stay soft inside the cookie for the first day or two. Otherwise you'll have to warm the cookies up for a few seconds in the microwave to get the caramel gooey again. Cookies freeze well, up to 2 months. Cookie dough balls freeze well, up to 2 months.