Easy Rolo Cookies Recipe

Rolo cookies are one of the most delicious cookies out there – this recipe has an amazing dark chocolate base, drizzled with white chocolate and rolled in sugar and pecans. What more could you ask for?!

Rolo Candy Cookies

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to make a new cookie to show your loved ones just how much you love them. This rich, decadent cookie hits all the points.

Moist dark chocolate cookie, sweet gooey caramel, slight crunch from the pecans, and a touch of white chocolate to balance it out.

What Makes This Cookie Special?

Chocolate Rolo cookies are a favorite at our house! We make these cookies for special occasions because they are uniquely delicious. They take a little more time than a simple chocolate chip cookie, but man, they are worth it! And while they take more time, they’re not really hard, and they’re actually fun to make!

This cookie is special because of the four component parts that work together so well.

The rich dark chocolate is complemented by the sweetness of the caramel. The pecan crunch and white chocolate drizzle take it to the next level. Not all Rolo cookie recipes include these details, and that’s why this one is the best: It covers all the elements to achieve perfection.

How to Shape the Cookie

First, you must chill the dough at least 20 minutes before starting to work with it. The high fat content and cocoa powder make it a very sticky dough. And since you handle each scoop a fair bit, it becomes messy if the dough is too warm.

While my dough chills, I like to clean up the kitchen and prepare for the next steps. This is a good time to unroll the candies. I don’t trust my kids not to eat all the Rolos when they unwrap them, so I do it myself.

Be sure to cover the dough with plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out, especially if you’re going to leave it to chill overnight.

You can leave the dough in the fridge for up to three days, keeping it covered. If it’s too stiff when you start working with it, just leave it out for 15 minutes before starting.

To shape the cookie, start with a smaller than average scoop of dough. It needs to be less than you’d usually use to make an individual cookie because you add the large Rolo to the center. However, make sure your scoop is large enough to fully cover the caramel candy, otherwise it will leak through a weak point in the cookie as it cooks. A small regular spoonful is the perfect size.

Flatten the dough in the palm of your hand, and add the candy in the center. Then roll the dough around the Rolo to cover it. As you work with them, you’ll begin to get a feel for what is right. Consistent sizing is more important than “too big” or “too small”.

Roll the dough around the candy to form a ball. If the dough is sticking to your fingers and palm, it’s too warm and needs to be popped back into the fridge to chill.

Once you’ve rolled the cookie dough into a ball, dip one side into the pecan crumbles mixed with white sugar. Press firmly enough to get the base coated. Don’t roll it in the nuts, and don’t push so hard the nuts actually get buried in the cookie; that will puncture the dough and allow the caramel to leak out when the cookie is hot.

As an alternative, you can use crushed almonds, or just plain white sugar, or even skip this step altogether.

How to Melt White Chocolate

Melting white chocolate might be the most stressful step the first time you make this. White chocolate is fiddly. It takes time to get hot enough to melt, but once it does, it can quickly become too hot and get dried out. If water gets on the chips, they will seize up and be unusable. Knowing this can make the process intimidating. But follow a few simple tips and you’ll steer clear of any problems.

Use a ceramic or glass bowl as they retain heat longer, allowing the chocolate to drizzle longer. Make sure the bowl is dry before using it. Add half a cup of chips, and microwave them according to instructions on the bag. Each manufacturer uses a different amount of cocoa butter so each one is unique.

If your bag doesn’t have instructions, microwave them for 30 seconds, and then at 10 second increments until the chips become shiny and start to melt. Don’t melt the chips completely. You stir them to combine and finish the melt process. The less heat you can expose them to, the better. Once the chocolate is melted, you have about five minutes before it cools enough to not be spreadable, so don’t start this step until you’re ready to drizzle.

Drizzling is the best part of making these cookies. You dip a fork or knife in the white chocolate and, from about 10 inches above the tray of cookies, run the utensil over the cookies. Go back and forth, sideways, and however you want to leave a fun pattern or design over the cookies.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 cups cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup pecans, crushed, for dipping
• 1/3 cup white sugar, for dipping
• bag white chocolate chips, for drizzling (start with 1/2 cup and melt more as needed)
• large bag Rolo candies, with at least 48 candies

Recipe

1. Combine the butter, white sugar and brown sugar and mix until well blended, at least five minutes.
2. Add eggs, one at a time. Then add vanilla and mix.
3. Combine the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda in a separate bowl, then add them to the mix carefully.
4. Because the cocoa is so fine, it has a tendency to fly everywhere when you first mix, so start slow to avoid a chocolatey mess in your kitchen.
5. Scrape down the sides as you mix several times. This is always important, but especially when mixing in cocoa powder. You want things fully incorporated and blended so the cookies don’t show a streak or stripe of undermixed ingredients.
6. Chill the dough at least 20 minutes or overnight. While the dough chills, unwrap the Rolo candies, being careful not to allow any foil pieces to stay on the candy.
7. Also, combine 1/2 cup crushed pecans with 1/3 cup white sugar in a bowl for dipping the bottoms of the dough ball.
8. Then scoop a small portion into your hand, flatten it out and add a Rolo in the center. Roll the dough over the candy to cover completely. Dip the ball into the nut sugar mix, and set on tray.
9. Bake cookies at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes, until the cookies are starting to show cracks and are not wet to the touch. Cookies may have a large hump because of the Rolo, but they will flatten as they cool.
10. Let the cookies cool slightly before moving them to another tray. If you have a cooling rack, this is ideal.
11. When cookies have cooled, melt the white chocolate and drizzle it over the cookies.
12. If the cookies are not on a cooling rack, let them set for 15-20 minutes, then move them to another tray.
13. This avoids the white chocolate drying in unattractive puddles and lines beyond the cookie.
14. Allow cookies to cool for an hour or more before attempting to stack or package. This allows the white chocolate to fully set and not become a sticky mess. If I’m in a rush, I’ll pop the tray in the fridge to chill faster.

How Long Do These Cookies Last?

These cookies last three or four days, but are best eaten within 48 hours. Dough will last three to four days in the fridge, and can be frozen for up to six months.

How Can I Freeze These Cookies?

Freeze the dough in a block and allow to thaw before working into balls. Freezing the dough with the Rolo inside is not ideal, as it will be frozen long after the dough thaws and impact the cooking time.

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