Salted Caramel Tot Cookies

Sweet and salty, crunch and chewy . . . these cookies made with morsels of golden potato, chocolate chips and bits of caramel are sure to satisfy everyone’s taste buds!

20 frozen tots 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. kosher salt 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2 eggs 2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 cup caramel bits (or chopped caramels) 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 450°F. Lightly coat rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Place tots in microwave-safe bowl; microwave on High in 15-second intervals until defrosted, about 2 minutes. Mash up tots until fully broken up. Spread tot pieces on baking sheet. Bake, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until bits are browned and very crispy, 15-25 minutes total. (Make sure to break up bigger chunks when stirring.) Transfer to plate; cool.

Reduce oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into large bowl. On medium-high speed, beat butter and sugars in large bowl until mixture is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs; beat until combined. Beat in vanilla. Mix together butter mixture and flour mixture and beat on medium until combined. With spoon, stir in caramel, chocolate and tot pieces.

Scoop dough in heaping tablespoons onto baking sheet, about 3" apart. Bake until cookies are pale golden and crispy around edges, 12-18 minutes. Cookies will keep in airtight container at room temperature 4-5 days.

Servings: 24. Cals.: 276. Protein: 3 g. Fat: 14 g. (8 g. saturated). Chol.: 41 mg. Carbs.: 37 g. Sodium: 198 mg. Fiber: 1 g. Sugar: 22 g. Kitchen time: 30 minutes. Total time: 1 hour, 40 minutes.