1apple, Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, or other crisp/firm variety
Peter's Caramel or other soft caramel**
Instructions
Prepare apple by washing and drying. Slice apple into 4 pieces, around the core of the apple. Discard the core. Thinly slice the apple and set aside. Cut the caramel into about 20-24 pieces and set aside on a plate or other clean surface such as a piece of wax paper or cutting board that is non -stick.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place rack in middle of oven. If you have a convection oven, use the convection setting.
Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla, mix until blended well on low speed. Scrape down sides of bowl once, mix again until all butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla are blended.
Add flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and white chocolate to bowl. Mix on low speed, just until the wet and dry ingredients are incorporated and the flour disappears.
Scoop dough onto cookie sheets, about 6-8 cookies per sheet. Flatten slightly with palm of hand.
Bake in preheated oven for about 7 minutes, until cookies flatten out a bit. Remove the pan from the oven and using a silicone spatula or other spatula, push the sides of the cookie in a bit to form a circle if the cookie has spread out unevenly. Top the cookie with one or two slices of apple and then top the apple with caramel. Return to oven and bake an additional 2 minutes, or until caramel is melted a bit. Remove and let cool completely before serving.
Notes
*I used white dipping chocolate discs from Cavanaugh's Chocolate but also like Guittard brand white chocolate chips.**The caramel I used is a large 5 lb block of Peter's Caramel. If you live in the SLC area, you may purchase this caramel at Orson Gygi on 300 West at about 3300 South.-The caramel stays on the pantry shelf for a long time. I had my last block for about a year, and it was still fresh tasting after a year's time. It's a great purchase to split with a friend. Store on a shelf in a Ziploc bag.-I like Granny Smiths for this recipe, because the apples are quite tart. If you prefer a red apple, use a Honey Crisp or Fuji apple.-These cookies are best when served within a day of baking.