Caramel Stuffed Chocolate Pecan Cookies

For the cookies:
Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugars. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until combined. Beat the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until all of the dry ingredients are moistened, being careful not to over mix. Fold in the pecans and chocolate chips. Put the bowl into the refrigerator and chill the dough for an least one hour.

Once chilled, preheat oven to 375 F. Roll the dough into 2 tablespoon-sized balls and place a caramel candy into the center of each ball of dough. Roll it back into a ball so the caramel is in the center and surrounded by dough. Put the balls onto parchment paper lined baking trays, with an inch or two between each. Flatten the balls slightly with the palm of your hand then bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are set. Then remove the pans from the oven.

Let cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes then transfer to a sheet of wax paper (NOT a cooling rack) to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the caramel topping by combining the caramel candies and heavy cream in a saucepan over medium low heat. Heat and stir constantly until melted and smooth. Drizzle melted caramel over the cookies and sprinkle the chopped pecans over each cookie. Enjoy!