Salted Dark Chocolate Caramel Cookies

I hope you all had a great Memorial Day weekend!  If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw I had some good eats during my weekend.  I know many of you are on diet mode for the upcoming swimsuit season and I’m sorry to do this to you, but you must make these cookies, especially if you love salty/sweet desserts.
What makes this cookie so great is the sum of its parts.  First, you have the moist chocolate cookie base.  The secret to having it so deliciously soft is by under baking it.  10 minutes! No more!  Second, you have the cocoa nibs that cut the sweetness and have a satisfying crunch.  Think of it as a more cocoa-y nut alternative.  Third, you have the perfectly melted caramel center.  Personally, I love caramel and you can use regular caramels instead of Rolos.  However Rolos have the chocolate coating that enhances it.
Finally, the sprinkling of Maldon salt finishes the balance of the cookie.  Some of the delicate flakes melt into the cookie fusing their salty goodness while the larger chunks withstand the heat and sparkle when you take them out.
The recipe makes 12 large cookies.   You can easily double it, but I kept my body conscious readers in mind as I baked this.  It’s definitely not healthy food, but as the saying goes, “a balanced diet is a cookie in each hand”.
Salted Dark Chocolate Caramel Cookies
Makes 12 large cookies

Ingredients:
4 oz. butter, room temperature
½ c. sugar
½ c. brown sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
⅓ c. Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 c. all purpose flour
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. kosher salt
¾ c. cocoa nibs
12 Rolos, unwrapped
Maldon sea salt

Instructions:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, sugar and brown sugar until lighter in color and fluffy.
2. Add egg and vanilla on medium speed and mix until glossy.
3. Add cocoa and mix until homogeneous.
4. Change the speed to low and add the flour, baking soda, and salt.  Mix until just combined.
5. Fold in cocoa nibs.
6. Chill dough in refrigerator for 1 hour.  This step will make it easier for you to roll the cookies.
7. Preheat oven to 350˚F and line large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
8. Form two, 1 tablespoon balls of cookie dough.
9. Sandwich a Rolo in between the two balls of cookie dough and completely encase the Rolo by rolling it around in your hand.
10. Repeat steps 8 and 9 until all of the dough and Rolos are used.
11. Sprinkle Maldon salt over the tops of cookie dough balls.
12. Bake for 10 minutes, rotating the pan 180˚ halfway.
13. Let cool and enjoy.