The very BEST Homemade Rolo Cookies recipe! No cake mix here, my friends. I have nothing against cake mix but we can make a better cookie than that, can’t we? Yes. Yes we can. Tons of cocoa and butter make an ultra fudgy cookie with a surprise caramel center! No one can resist these! 

rolo cookies

The other day Truman was having fun making a paper airplane zoom around the room. At one point it landed on the floor next to where I was sitting, and he said, “Mom, can you get that for me?”

I was confused. “What, like, you want me to pick it up for you?” He was standing 2 feet away. “Yeah.”

rolo cookies recipe

And that’s when I exploded. “NO I CAN’T PICK IT UP FOR YOU, DO YOU NOT EVEN REMEMBER THAT I’M 9 MONTHS PREGNANT, ANYTHING THAT FALLS ON THE GROUND IS DEAD TO ME!!”

chocolate caramel cookies

Hi, welcome to my house these days, where I will yell at you for asking me to do small favors. Poor kid’s going to be traumatized. I actually have big fears about what my kid’s early childhood memories will be. Truman’s only 6, is his first memory going to be about his mom losing it over a paper airplane?? Noo! I’m a nice mom most of the time! Just not when I’m pregnant!

rolo cookies

2 weeks to go you guys, and then I will stop complaining about this nonstop. Also PS the baby countdown is the same as the Christmas countdown, so you’ve got 2 weeks left to get your shopping done! Hop to it!!

rolo cookies recipe

But until then, I’m baking ALLLL the cookies. I just make a huge double batch of everything and freeze the rest for later. You’ve never seen baking like a 9 month pregnant nesting food blogger. We’ve already made Butter Pecan Cookies, Gingersnaps, Spritz (hopefully updating that post soon), Cardamoms, Chocolate Chunk Gingerbread Cookies, and these AMAZING Rolo cookies.

 

chocolate caramel cookies

How to Make Rolo Cookies

You’ve had rolo cookies before, right? Or some version of them. They are a classic! Usually you see them made with cake mix cookies (one cake mix, 1/3 cup oil, 2 eggs, as found in these Homemade Oreo Cookies.)

rolo cookies

(Sift your cocoa if it’s clumpy)

But the basic idea is a chocolate cookie wrapped around a rolo, rolled in sugar and baked. Today’s homemade version is 10x better than the cake mix version in my humble opinion, and only takes a few more minutes to put together. You don’t even have to chill the dough! Can we get a hallelujah!!

how to make rolo cookies recipe

Wrapping one rolo in chocolate cookie dough is good.

rolo cookies

rolo cookies recipe

But wrapping TWO rolos in chocolate cookie dough is even BETTER. Yes please. Come on now, you didn’t visit my blog because you suddenly wanted to embrace moderation, did you? Accept it.

If you do two rolos (you should) try to use the same amount of dough as you would for one rolo. The goal is to get a higher ratio of caramel to cookie, not to have a giant cookie. When I used two rolos, I made the dough balls a little more oval shape than round, as shown in the above photo on the left. One rolo sitting on top of the other (wrapped in dough).

chocolate caramel cookies

You can see the dough all over my fingers in the process shots above. It’s quite sticky. You are going to think these cookies will be a disaster and bake as flat as pancakes if you don’t chill them for at least a little while. That’s what I thought. But I’m glad I tried it without chilling, just to make sure! These cookies puffed up and cracked like a dream, no chilling at all. Hooray! You can go from zero to cookies in about 30 minutes with this recipe!

rolo cookies

See how nice and puffy they are? This is immediately out of the oven. I sprinkled with extra sugar after baking. See note above about my lack of moderation issues.

rolo cookies recipe

(How many cookies do you have to take bites out of or break in half to get all the caramely photos for this blog post? About one thousand.)

rolo cookies

These would be such a fun cookie to add to your Christmas plates this year! No one can resist rolo cookies!

More Christmas cookies you are going to love!

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Homemade Rolo Cookies Recipe

4.86 from 14 votes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Servings: 34 cookies
The very BEST Homemade Rolo Cookies! No cake mix here, my friends. I have nothing against cake mix but we can make a better cookie than that, can't we? Yes. Yes we can. Tons of cocoa and butter make an ultra fudgy cookie with a surprise caramel center! No one can resist these! 

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, (2 sticks)
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 2 cups flour, spooned and leveled
  • 1 cup cocoa, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 35-70 rolos*
  • granulated sugar, for rolling

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Line a few baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  • In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat 1 cup butter until light and fluffy, 2 minutes or so, scraping the edges. If you have a mixer that is powerful enough, start with cold butter, otherwise you will have to let it soften a bit.
  • Add 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup brown sugar and beat 1 more minute, scraping bottom and sides.
  • Add 2 eggs and 1 tablespoon vanilla and beat well, scraping the edges and bottom of the bowl.
  • Add 2 cups flour (spooned and leveled!), but do not mix it yet. Add 1 cup cocoa powder (if your cocoa looks clumpy, sift it into the bowl through a strainer. You don't want chunks of cocoa in your cookies.) Don't stir yet.
  • Add 1 teaspoon baking soda and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Stir the dry ingredients together a bit with a small spoon so you don't end up with any lumps of salt or soda in your cookies. Then beat the dry ingredients into the dough, but only until just incorporated.
  • When the dough is just starting to come together and there are still streaks of flour, take a second to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Finish mixing it all together but don't go overboard; over-beaten cookies turn out tough. We want nice tender cookies.
  • Unwrap one thousand Rolos. Just kidding, but it might feel like a thousand. Enlist help if you can! This recipe makes about 35 cookies give or take, so you either need 35 Rolos or 70, depending on how excessive of a person you are. Obviously I added 2 Rolos for every cookie. I promise they still taste great with only one. It's totally up to you!
  • Use a spoon to scoop about 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of dough into a ball. It should be about the size of a large walnut. Don't be alarmed that the dough is pretty sticky, I promise it bakes up great. Press either 1 or 2 Rolos into the center of the dough and then wrap the dough around it so that it is completely covered. Make sure no rolo is peeking out.
  • Add about 1/2 cup or more of granulated sugar to a bowl or plate. Roll each cookie dough ball in sugar, making sure it gets well coated.
  • Place each ball on the prepared baking sheet. I did 12 cookies per sheet, but make sure you have at least 1-2 inches in between each cookie.
  • Bake at 350 for 9-10 minutes. Do not over bake! When they are done, the edges will have cracked. The cookies should not be shiny in the middle. The edges should be firm.
  • Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool. Be aware that the center of these cookies are approximately the temperature of molten lava for the first couple minutes.
  • Eat warm with a tall glass of milk! These are great warmed up in the microwave for 10 seconds or so on day two.

Notes

*How many Rolos you need depends on whether you want to stuff one rolo or two in each cookie. There are about 50 rolos in one 10.6 ounce package.
Make ahead instructions:
Freezer: You can freeze this dough to bake later. After step 11 (when you've stuffed the cookie and rolled it in sugar) you can store these in a ziplock for up to 2 months. You can bake straight from frozen, just bake a couple minutes longer. Alternatively, you can freeze the dough for 2 months before shaping it. Let thaw before shaping, then bake as directed. 
Refrigerator: This dough will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. You can either refrigerate the dough in a covered bowl all together, or shape the dough with the Rolos and then chill. Make sure they are well covered! Bake as directed. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 236kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 179mg | Potassium: 102mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 209IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 236
Keyword: Cookies, homemade, rolo
Did you make this? I'd love to see it!Mention @thefoodcharlatan or tag #thefoodcharlatan!

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Hi I made your cookies tonight but I cheated and bought a bag of mini rolos that are unwrapped already. I also used mini Reese’s peanut butter cups in the second pan. I haven’t tried them yet as they are still hot from the oven

  2. 5 stars
    Absolutely perfect Rolo cookies. I always wished I had more Rolo in them when I had them as a child. The double stuff trick in this recipe is perfect.

    And I love the humour you write with- and also that you put the ingredient measurements again in the “directions” section so you don’t have to keep scrolling up to the list as you make them.

    Thank you!

    1. Hi Ria! Since I wasn’t in there in the kitchen with you it’s hard for me to know, but I’m wondering if you added a little too much flour? It needs to be spooned into the measuring cup, not scooped.

      1. 5 stars
        I had no idea spooning the flour instead of scooping made a difference. Good to know for the future. I liked the thick fluff of them anyways this time but will have to try spooning next time!

  3. I never laughed so hard while reading your blog and licking this extremely sticky dough off my palms. Great cookies, even funnier commentary.

  4. Can I just comment on how beautiful your photography is getting! These photos, in terms of light, contrast and color just make these cookies look so amazing 😍 !! You’ve come so far since you first started, and these photos show it. Awesome job, especially with a baby so close! Can’t wait to see him!

    1. Wow thank you so much for the compliment Connor! You are so nice! I stress a lot about my photos, so this is nice to hear :) I have a long way to go, but I will agree with you, I have come a long way from my first blog photos, haha! Thanks so much for the compliment. Merry Christmas!

  5. Karen, we’re so excited for you and your family! May God bless each and every one of you. Have a wonderful holiday season, and thanks so much for all you share with us :)

  6. Aaaah!!! So excited…..2 weeks to go! Can’t wait for you to meet this little guy👶…..and for us to meet him when you introduce him to us!😉🥰
    How you manage to run a blog with three (VERY nearly four) little children amazes me…..you GO, girl! And these Rolo cookies look amazing, Karen! I have to try them this Christmas. Thank you!

  7. How have I never heard about Rolo stuffed cookies before? These look DELICIOUS, and I need to to try them SOON! 

  8. Oh, lady, I had three of my babies around Christmas time. I feel all the feelings for you! I know it’s not easy.

    These cookies look delightful – and easy. We love chocolate and caramel at my house. And butter. Best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a happy delivery!

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