Brown Butter Coconut Caramel Cookies

As I walked through the grocery store doing the shopping for the family, a bag of caramel Hershey Kisses caught my eye. I began to dream up things I could create with them. 

I came up with a chocolate cookie recipe that sounded pretty good and decided to make them for my Mom's birthday. I checked with her to make sure she liked caramel. She said yes - but she liked coconut better. I tried to think of something else I could make for her special day involving her favorite coconut flavor and then thought, hey why not combine caramel and coconut?

I couldn't decide if the combination would be a good one, but then I thought back to my twelve years in Girl Scouts selling cookies and remembered the ever popular and one of my mom's favorites - Samoas (or Caramel Delites. They may have changed the name on the box but it will still remain Samoas in my heart.) I decided to come up with my own twist on a Samoa cookie involving those caramel Hershey kisses for my mother's birthday, bringing together my original idea and her request for coconut!  

Brown Butter Coconut Caramel Cookies

makes about 30 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 package caramel Hershey kisses
• 1 cup caramel chips
• 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut (extra for topping)
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 2 1/2 tablespoons caramel ice cream topping (extra for drizzle after baking)
• 1 cup butter - diced into cubes
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose baking flour
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking power
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup sugar (for rolling cookies)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees

2. Heat cubed butter in a skillet on medium heat until browned. Butter should melt then start to form golden bubbles. Pour butter into a heat-safe bowl and let cool.

3. Whisk together dry ingredients in a separate bowl : flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

4. Mix cooled butter, sugar and brown sugar using an electric mixer. Then add in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla.

5. Add in the dry ingredients and mix then add caramel chips, caramel ice cream topping, and shredded coconut.

6. Roll dough into balls - about 1 1/2 inch diameter then roll in sugar and place on a well greased baking sheet. Bake for 11 minutes.

7. Press a caramel Hershey kiss in the center of each cookie immediately after they come out of the oven and let cool. 

8. Put chocolate chips in a plastic bag in the microwave for one minute to melt. Snip a hole in the corner of the bag and drizzle chocolate over cookies. Spoon extra caramel ice cream topping over cookies for drizzle as well.

9. Place extra shredded coconut in the same skillet used for melting butter and toast coconut over medium heat until it turns golden brown. Sprinkle over cookies and enjoy!