Adapted from the Great American Home Baking Cookie Collection. And honestly, if I could find it, I would link you.

Caramel Apple Cookies
Makes 2-3 dozen
These are delicious. The combination of the caramel and the taste and smell of the apple pie spices fools you into thinking these cookies taste like apples.

1 c. butter
½ c. packed brown sugar
½ c. sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ t. vanilla
2 t. cinnamon
¼ t. cloves
Pinch nutmeg
½ t. baking soda
½ t. salt
3 c. flour
Red and green food color pastes
Apple-shaped cookie cutter
2-3 dozen wooden craft sticks
1 14oz. pkg. caramels
3 T. water
½ c. chopped cashews
Waxed paper

Cream together butter and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients.

Remove 1/3 c. dough to color green. Color the rest red. Divide red dough in half, over all, chill for one hour.

Preheat oven to 375. Roll out red dough to ¼” thickness and cut out apple shapes. Transfer to cookie sheets. Carefully slide a craft stick under the stem end of each cookie. Shape marble-sized balls of green dough into teardrops and press onto each apple.

Bake for 10 minutes, until crisp but not browned. Transfer to wire rack or towel to cool completely.

Unwrap caramels and place in bowl with water. (14oz. was way too much caramel for mine.) Microwave on high in one minute intervals, stirring between, until melted. (Maybe 3 minutes total.)

Lay out waxed paper. Dip the end of each cookie into melted caramel, then in cashews, and lay on waxed paper. Let cookies set at least an hour.

The cookies, at least the caramel part, should be wrapped individually in waxed paper, and should be handled before it has set.