A few weeks ago, I started my surgery and anesthesia rotation for my internship. As much as I love emergency medicine, there’s just something about surgery and anesthesia that is equally as exciting to me. There’s actually a lot of similarities between the two – they both require constant diligent observation of your patient, you need to be on your toes at all times, and you have to be able to quickly adapt treatments to the status of your patient. There’s no room for slacking and not paying attention to how your patient is acting or how they’re reacting to the treatments you gave them – vital signs can quickly change without warning and you are responsible for either fixing the problem, or notifying the veterinarian about the status of your patient.
I’ve been fortunate enough to work with a group of amazingly talented technicians that are very patient and knowledgeable and willing to teach. It truly has made my internship a great experience so far!
You know what else is great? This cookie.
Soft chocolate chunk cookies with a gooey caramel-filled center that are super easy to make. Dark chocolate shavings are added in addition to chocolate chunks to make sure chocolate is tasted in every single bite. In my personal opinion, these cookies are the best straight out of the oven after they’ve had a chance to slightly cool down a little. That’s when the cookie is still warm and soft, and the caramel is still gooey on the inside. The caramel is the star of the show and is what surprises people when they first take a bite into it. Once the cookies completely cool, the caramel is going to harden a bit and lose its gooey texture, but I found out that throwing them in the microwave for 5-10 seconds is just enough to melt the caramel and transform them back into the warm, soft, gooey chocolate chunk cookie again.
- 1 and 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chunks
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate, chopped
- 1 bag of caramel candies - unwrap about 20 of them and cut them in half
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Gently stir to mix and set aside.
- Using a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, then add in the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
- A little bit at a time, add in the flour mixture and mix until everything is thoroughly combined.
- Fold in the chocolate chunks and finely chopped dark chocolate with a spatula. I cheated and stirred them in by turning on my mixer onto the "stir" function.
- Scoop about 1.5 tablespoons worth of cookie dough, then make a slight indent in the middle by using your thumb and place one halved caramel candy in the center, then make sure the cookie dough is rolled up in a ball so the caramel candy isn't showing. Repeat until all dough has been used up. Cut up more caramel candies if needed.
- Before you put them in the oven, slightly flatten them a bit with the palm of your hand. Bake for 11-13 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wired cooling rack.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes. They will look super soft but they continue cooking after you remove them from the oven. Store in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
- Makes about 48-50 cookies
Also, if you have kids who are always eager to help in the kitchen, this is also a good recipe to get them involved! After the cookie dough is made and scooped into balls, you can have the kids help with stuffing the centers with caramels. There’s really no chance of “screwing” up, and it’ll also make them feel as if they contributed.
Happy baking!
Recipe from Table For Two
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