Caramel-Stuffed Snickerdoodles (Paleo, Gluten free)

Some people go crazy for snickerdoodles, but I’m not usually one of them. Snickerdoodles have a lot of cinnamon, which is nice, but they don’t have chocolate, caramel, or fruit. Usually I require one of those three things in order to truly fall in love with a dessert. Several weeks ago it occurred to me that snickerdoodles could be stuffed with caramel, and ever since I’ve been eager to try it. I’m not the first one to try stuffing caramel inside a snickerdoodle, but I think I’m the first to try a paleo and gluten free version.

I made this honey caramel yesterday to drizzle on top of an apple honey cake that I’m working on for Rosh Hashanah. The cake was delicious, but it still needs a little work. I had half of the honey caramel left (it wouldn’t all fit on top of the apple cake!) so I decided I needed to make the snickerdoodles.

These are easy to make (no creaming!) and fun to eat. Before the photo shoot, I tried two cookies, one straight from the oven and one after they’d cooled. (As a food blogger, I have to do these things. You know, for science.) Then, after I took my pictures, I had to eat all the cookies that had suffered casualties (been broken open) during the shoot. I had to drink all the milk, too, because it would have been really hard to pour it back in the carton without a funnel. The things I do for this blog! Anyway, it was a fabulous snack and I think you should make some today.

Ingredients for the snickerdoodles (makes about 18 cookies):

1 and 1/4 cups almond flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour/tapioca starch
3 tablespoons coconut flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup maple sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons granulated maple sugar, for rolling
1 teaspoon cinnamon, for rolling

1/2 recipe honey caramel, warmed (see below)

Preheat the oven to 375, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients. Add the eggs, butter, and vanilla and stir to combine. Form the dough into tablespoon-sized balls and press them to flatten them out. Place about half a teaspoon of honey caramel in the center of each dough circle. Fold the edges of the dough up to completely encase the caramel, and roll the cookie into a ball. Coat with the cinnamon sugar mixture, then place the on the prepared baking sheet and flatten it out with your palm.

Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the cookies are set and browned on the bottom. Cool completely on the baking sheet.

Ingredients for the honey caramel (makes about a cup):

1/2 cup honey
1 cup coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 tablespoons coconut oil

Combine the honey, coconut milk, and salt in a medium saucepan. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches about 250 on a candy thermometer and is a rich caramel color. Carefully add the vanilla and coconut oil (the mixture will bubble up vigorously) and stir to combine. Let the caramel cool until it is just warm, but not hardened, before filling the cookies.

This honey caramel gets pretty hard when cool, so you could probably make the leftover honey caramel into candies by spreading it on a little tray, sticking it in the fridge, and then slicing it into little squares. Or, store it in a jar, and microwave it when you’re ready to drizzle it on some ice cream.

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