Caramel Oatmeal Pecan Cookies

So I am a sucker for the seasonal baking items that come out each year. I love going to Target and seeing if they have any interesting sprinkles or some other baking item that I can’t live without. The other day I was there and I came across Ghirardelli caramel chips. They are like chocolate chips, but are caramel flavored instead of chocolate. I figured that I couldn’t live without them and knew I could find some cookie recipe that would be just perfect.

The recipe on the bag of chips was for a pecan cookie, and I certainly thought that pecan would be a good pair with the caramel chips. I went online looking for recipes and I came across this recipe for oatmeal, pecan, and coconut cookies. I knew that caramel would pair nicely with those ingredients, which all have a nice buttery flavor. I slightly decreased the quantity of pecans and coconut to account for the addition of the caramel chips.  

This recipe makes 4 dozen, which is a nice big batch. A couple of the cookies spread a bit around the edges. I don’t think that there’s too much butter, but I don’t know why just a couple of cookies spread. The rest were just fine! These is a great cookie for fall, with the pecans, coconut, and caramel chips giving these cookies a wonderful buttery flavor.

Caramel Oatmeal Pecan Cookies

1 cup butter, room temperature

¾ cup packed brown sugar

⅓ cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1¼ cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2½ cups old-fashioned oats

¾ cup finely chopped pecans

3/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes

10 ounces caramel chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a large mixer bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Mix on medium until combined. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and stir on low, mixing until just combined. Add the oats, pecans, coconut, and caramel chips. Mix on low until the dough comes together.

Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, and shape into balls, about 1-1/2 inch in diameter.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden around the edges and the cookies are set. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

Recipe adapted from Watch, Learn, Eat