Caramel Chocolate Cookies with Milk Duds!

The other day mystery author Rosemary Harris was at my home for a Literary Salon and shared some interesting facts about Milk Duds, one of my candies of choice, especially at the movies.

Rosemary Harris writes the Dirty Business mysteries, and she mentioned that a Milk Duds box found near a mummified body was actually used to date the death. She used this piece of information in a book of her series. I won't tell you which novel but the fact that Milk Duds changed their package design (and ownership) over the years helped date the murder! The original Milk Duds were caramels surrounded by real milk chocolate. Now that chocolate is made with vegetable oil. O.K. not unhealthy, but not quite the same.

The box design is still pretty much the same today, although there are subtle changes in color and, of course, manufacturer. Read more about the history and package design of Milk Duds at Collecting Candy.

So I was pleased to see that today's food holiday is National Caramel Day. So in honor of Rosemary Harris's visit (just love when my chocolate and mystery world's converge), I thought I'd post my favorite recipe for Caramel Chocolate Cookies--using Milk Duds!!! 

This recipe makes 4 dozen... I could easily polish these off in a day!  You can also use Rolos, another chocolate covered caramel candy, and they melt a bit better.. but I'm talking about Milk Duds today! Recipe adapted from AllRecipes.com.

Caramel Chocolate Cookies with Milk Duds

Ingredients
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 tsp Madagascar vanilla extract
2 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup unsweetened DARK cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
48 Milk Duds (try Rolos, too!)
1 Tbsp white sugar or powdered sugar

Directions
In large bowl, combine one cup sugar, brown sugar and butter; beat until light, add vanilla and eggs, blend well.
In small bowl, combine flour, cocoa and baking soda, mix well. Add to sugar mixtures; blend well.
Divide dough in thirds and roll into logs. Wrap in wax paper.
Refrigerate an hour.
Preheat oven to 375.
Working with one log at a time, cut and shape (approximately) tablespoon of dough around one caramel candy, covering completely. Sprinkle each lightly with white sugar or powdered sugar.
Bake 8-l0 minutes. Cool.