Chocolate, toffee, caramel... a bit of everything bad for you

These cookies were intense, and I could not make them look nearly as beautiful as the person who made them in the recipe I found. Esentially, I learned that I am completely inept at drizzling chocolate. However, when cookies taste as yummy as these, I hardly think that looks are of any consequence. They were quite easy to make as well, and perfect for any occasion. I made them for co-workers and actually recieved thank-you notes. So, without further ado, here is the recipe for Chocolate Drizzed Peanut Caramel Crunch Cookies! Original recipe from Myrecipes.com.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine or a butter substitute acceptable for baking
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups all-purpose baking mix
• 2/3 cup almond toffee bits (I used Heath, I am not sure if anyone else even makes them)
• 2/3 cup chopped peanuts
• 2/3 cup milk chocolate, semi-sweet, or bittersweet chips
• 10 ounce vanilla caramels
• 2 to 3 tablespoons whipping cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup melted milk chocolate chips for drizzle (or semi-sweet, or bittersweet, whatever you are craving)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Beat first 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add egg followed by baking mix, beating until blended. Stir in toffee bits, chopped peanuts, and 2/3 cup chocolate chips.
2. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets; flatten dough with hand.
3. Bake at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool cookies on baking sheets 1 minute; remove cookies to wire racks.
4. Microwave caramels and 2 tablespoons cream in a glass bowl at HIGH 1 minute; stir. Continue to microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring until caramels melt and mixture is smooth; add remaining cream, if necessary. Stir in vanilla. Spoon caramel mixture evenly onto tops of cookies; drizzle evenly with melted chocolate. (This is a lot easier said than done... mine ended up just having unattractive blobs of chocolate on top of the caramel, as you can see from my picture).