These fall-flavoured cookies are, according to my husband, the best cookies I’ve ever made. The combo of apples, cinnamon and caramel is definitely hard to resist. The addition of boxed pudding mix to this recipe may seem a bit surprising, but the pudding adds a huge amount of caramel flavour and tenderness to these cookies.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 butter, softened
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 package caramel or butterscotch instant pudding (99g)
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup caramel or butterscotch chips
• 2 apples, diced into small cubes (about 3/4 cup)

Cinnamon sugar (for rolling):

• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
2. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a handheld mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. This should take about two minutes.
3. Next, add in the egg, vanilla, and salt.
4. Turn mixer speed to low and add in the baking powder, cinnamon, pudding mix and flour. Mix until fully combined.
5. Add in the chopped apples and caramel chips.
6. In a small bowl, stir together the cinnamon and white sugar.
7. Form the dough into even-sized balls– I like to use a small ice cream scoop for this– and roll the balls into the cinnamon sugar. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake for 16-18 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are slightly golden. The cookies should still be a little soft in the middle.
8. Cool on wire rack.

Yield: approximately 24 cookies