Ingredients

• 30 g Tree Top LM Tenderized Dice (127’s)
• 39.50 g Tree Top Apple Juice Concentrate (reconstituted with 197.5 g water)
• 192 g all-purpose flour
• 128 g old-fashioned rolled oats
• 4.60 g baking powder
• 2.30 g baking soda
• 3 g salt
• 150 g granulated sugar
• 165 g brown sugar
• 84 g unsalted butter, softened
• 5 g vanilla
• 50 g egg
• 39 g caramel pieces
• 30 g milk or whipping cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Reconstitute apple juice concentrate with water. Pour over apple pieces. Let apples rehydrate at least 5 minutes (drain well before measuring).

In a small bowl, mix flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir well.

In a large bowl, mix sugars and butter until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg. Beat well. Gradually add flour mixture; mix at low speed just until combined. Fold in apple.

Place caramel pieces and milk in a small saucepan. Heat slowly to melt caramel; stirring often until caramels are melted. Remove from heat. (caramels can also be melted in a microwave oven if desired)

With your hands, roll dough into walnut-size balls and place on cookie sheet. Poke a small hole in each ball of dough using the handle end of a wooden spoon, or something similar. Drop a small amount of caramel in each hole.

Bake for 16 minutes. Cool on pan for 5 minutes; then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: 24 large cookies