Rolo Cookies
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A Rolo cookies recipe featuring chopped milk chocolate and caramel-filled Rolo candies in a brown sugar cookie dough base. These Rolo cookies are decidedly oversized (I’ve hand-shaped the dough into 2-inch balls, for 18 big, bakery-style cookies); gooey, and perfectly chocolate-y. The dough itself stays nice and soft thanks to the addition of brown sugar, and the caramel-filled Rolo candies will ooze as they bake, creating a chewy caramel treat.
Key Ingredients
Most of the ingredients in Rolo cookies are standard baking products you already have in the fridge or cabinet (flour, butter, sugar, kosher salt) but you absolutely cannot make this recipe without:
- Rolos – After a few years of living in London, I learned that Rolos are available for purchase at UK supermarkets. (I’d never thought to look—I always assumed these were only available in America!) Shaped like thick buttons and packaged, quite literally, in a roll, these foil-wrapped round candies feature a chewy caramel center enrobed in a milk chocolate shell, and are the key ingredient (no substitutions!) in this cookie recipe. You’ll need 170 grams, or about 32 Rolos. See my notes on freezing, below.
- Chocolate – Rolo candies feature a milk chocolate coating, so I’ve echoed that flavor profile by stirring pieces of milk chocolate into the dough. Milk chocolate chips, chopped milk chocolate couverture, or chocolate callets will all work. For optimal taste and texture, I suggest using a better-quality brand rather than cheap supermarket chocolate. If chopping, don’t make the pieces overly large or they’ll be difficult to work into the dough.
Tips, Tools, and Techniques
- Freeze the Rolos. Freezing prevents the soft Rolo candies from breaking as you stir and roll the dough, and will also stop the caramel from becoming overly-oozy in the oven. I recommend freezing for at least one hour, but the candies can also be frozen overnight. Before freezing, unwrap the Rolos and arrange on a plate or a small tray, so you don’t have to deal with removing the finicky foil after freezing.
- Use a half sheet tray. These Rolo cookies will spread as they bake, so I suggest using a large, half-sheet rimmed baking tray, lined with baking parchment or a silicone mat.
- Get your hands dirty. While tempting, DO NOT use a cookie scoop for this recipe! Instead, use your hands to portion and shape the cookie dough into balls. I tested this recipe both ways, and found that the scoop damaged the Rolos, causing an excessive amount of caramel to ooze onto the tray.
- Reshape the cookies. The chunky Rolos can cause these cookies to spread unevenly, so a round metal cutter (I used the largest one from my trusty set of round metal cutters) comes in handy for reshaping the baked cookies. I suggest greasing the cutter with butter, olive oil, or nonstick cooking spray to prevent it from sticking to the hot caramel. And note that this is entirely optional. Oddly shaped Rolo cookies will taste just as good as perfectly round cookies!
- Don’t damage the Rolos. Try to avoid breaking the Rolos while stirring the candies into the dough, and while rolling the dough into balls. Some breakage will occur (and you’ll probably find some already-broken Rolos in the package, it’s fine to use these) but the more broken Rolos, the gooier and messier your cookies will be.
- Line the rack with parchment. If you bake on parchment, use your hands to gently slide the entire sheet of parchment onto the wire cooling rack. If baking on silicone, use a flat metal spatula to transfer the partially cooled cookies to a parchment-lined wire rack. Avoid cooling directly on a wire rack or the hot caramel will adhere to the rack, making it difficult to remove the cookies without breakage.
- Bake in batches. Bake the cookies in two batches, with nine cookies per tray, rather than all at once. These spread, and the caramel will leak, so if you place the balls too close together you’ll have to cut the cookies apart.
Rolo Cookies
- Total TimeAbout 3 hours
- Yield18 3-inch round cookies 1x
A soft, bakery-style Rolo cookies recipe packed with milk chocolate and gooey caramel.
Ingredients
288 grams all purpose flour (2 1/4 cups; 10 1/8 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
113 grams unsalted butter, softened (1/2 cup/1 stick)
100 grams dark brown sugar (1/2 cup)
100 grams granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
30 milliliters whole milk (2 tablespoons)
130 grams chopped milk chocolate or chocolate chips (1 cup; 4 1/2 ounces)
170 grams Rolo candies (about 32 candies), unwrapped and frozen for 1 hour
Instructions
Unwrap the Rolo candies. Arrange in a single layer on a tray or small plate. Freeze at least 1 hour, or overnight.
In a large bowl, whisk together all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt. Set aside.
In a separate bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the softened butter on high speed until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds.
Add the dark brown sugar and granulated sugar and mix on medium-high speed until well combined, about 30 seconds more.
Mix in the egg and vanilla bean paste.
Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Mix in the milk.
With a wooden spoon, stir in the chopped milk chocolate and the frozen Rolo candies.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap/clingfilm and refrigerate at least 1 hour, or overnight.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350° F (176° C). Line a half-sheet rimmed baking tray with parchment or a silicone mat.
With your hands, portion the chilled dough into 1 1/2 – 2-inch balls. You should have about 18 total. Arrange half of the balls* on prepared tray, allowing space for the cookies to spread as they bake.
Bake in preheated oven for 14-17 minutes, or until gooey and lightly golden brown.
For perfectly round cookies, quickly reshape with a greased round metal cutter.
Cool on tray for 10 minutes, then arrange on a parchment-lined wire rack to cool completely.
Repeat with remaining cookie dough.
Layer cooled Rolo cookies between sheets of parchment or wax paper. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Notes
*Refrigerate remaining balls until ready to bake.
**Do not place hot cookies directly on wire rack or the caramel will adhere to the tray.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Chilling/Freezing Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Biscuits and Cookies
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Dessert
Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions
Chilling the dough: Allow plenty of chilling and freezing time. I suggest freezing the Rolo candies for a minimum of one hour prior to baking, but if desired, they can be frozen overnight. The dough also needs at least an hour of chilling time before it’s ready to bake.
To freeze: Layer baked and cooled cookies between sheets of parchment and freeze in an airtight container or large ziploc storage bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Other Cookie Recipes You Might Enjoy
Black and White Cookies
Magic Middle Cookies
Chocolate Molasses Cookies
Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Quadruple Peanut Butter Cookies
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
