Cookies:

1 c. butter, room temperature
3/4 c. light brown sugar (not packed)
1 tsp. pure vanilla
1 3/4 c. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 small tub Baker's Dipping Chocolate*
25 caramels, sliced into halves
pecans, blanched almonds or Macadamia nuts, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Cream together butter and sugar until well combined. Add vanilla, and flour which has been stirred with baking powder.

Shape small marble-sized balls of dough (refrigerate for 10 minutes to half hour if dough is difficult to handle). Place dough balls on a baking sheet leaving 2 inches of space around them; flatten slightly.

Bake until lightly golden, about 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Heat dipping chocolate according to package directions.

Flatten caramel halves to the same size as the cookies already made. Place a caramel half over each cookie; then spread melted chocolate over each. (You can use some chocolate to glue down the caramel.) Press chopped nuts into tops of cookies.

Allow them to firm up on a wire grid or on wax paper until the chocolate sets. (May refrigerate to speed up the process.)

If you make small cookies, you can put them into individual candy paper wrappers (these look like miniature muffin papers and are available at Craft stores).

Submitted by: CM