Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider cookies

recipe very slightly adapted from The Cooking Photographer

Ingredients

1 cup softened butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 box (7.4 oz) Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink mix -not sugar free- all 10 packets (I found this in my grocery store near the hot chocolate mixes.)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 cups all purpose flour

1 bag Kraft Caramels (14 oz)

Preheat oven 350  Line cookie sheets with parchment

Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.  Mix or cream butter, sugar, salt and all 10 packages of apple cider drink powder.  Add eggs, then vanilla and mix well.  Add flour mixture to creamed ingredients gradually.  Refrigerate for 1 hour.  Unwrap caramels or rollos.  Scoop cookie dough ball into about the size of a walnut (use the little cookie scoop).  Flatten the ball of dough in the palm of your hand.  Press the unwrapped caramel into the center of the dough, covering it completely. Place on parchment-covered cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

Bake 12 to 14 minutes at 350 degrees or until very lightly browned around the edges.  Don't overbake.  Slide cookies gently off the parchment before they have finished cooling and flip upside down and finish cooling on rack or counter.  If needed, you can freeze them on the parchment and they will come off easily.