Another one of the recipes that my mother made and I just HAD to try, so I suffered to find this recipe to share with you all! It’s from a blog called Dessert Now, Dinner Later but now I’ve made it gluten/dairy free. 🙂 I normally cut a wide swath around dairy since I’m extremely sensitive to it, and I’ve included a recipe at the bottom for vegan, corn-syrup free caramels that look delicious as well as a link to where to buy them if you hate making candy (amazon.com!) I used the Kraft caramels in them, so for those of you who aren’t dairy-sensitive, go for it. Other wise, use the recipe or the Cocomels (made with coconut milk!). These were ridiculously delicious, and, again, I find myself hard-pressed to keep from sitting here with my Kahlua and caramel flavored coffee, scarfing cookies. I know I’ll pay a bit for the dairy in the caramels, but it’s a half cup for 2 dozen, so if I just have a bite…
Caramel Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies
Preheat oven to 350 and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. (Seriously, use parchment paper…you’ll thank me for this)
Cream together:
1/2 c. (1 stick) margarine, room temp (note: you can substitute coconut oil as well at a 1:1 ratio. There is a “baking substitute” info graphic on the blog if you’re not sure what to use, as well.)
1/4 c. heaping, granulated sugar
1/4 c. heaping, brown sugar
Then add:
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
Mix and scrape down bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix:
1 1/2 c. Special Sweets Blend flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Add to wet mixture in two batches, mixing until combined.
Fold in:
3/4 c. Glutino stick pretzels, broken into thirds
1/2 c. caramel bits
1/2 c. dark chocolate chips
Spoon onto parchment paper or use a small cookie scoop (you’ll get around 2 dozen)
Bake for 15 minutes
Let cool a bit before taking off the pan and putting on a rack to cool completely
Where to buy dairy free caramels
Recipe for dairy free caramels
Vegan, Corn-syrup free caramel recipe from Fork and Beans
the perplexing palate 