This is a great go-to recipe for when you want to whip up a sweet treat for your guests over the holidays.  

What I love about making these cookies is that you don’t need to use a beater so they really are easy to make and kitchen mess is kept to a minimum.  My family love them - I  often make them on the spur of the moment when somebody expresses the sudden urge for something sweet - then I mostly leave out the caramel and salt and everybody still enjoys the chocolatey goodness.

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons butter

7 tablespoons cocoa

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup plain yoghurt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Soft caramel

Course sea salt

You can totally leave out the caramel and sea salt for a simplified version

Directions:

Preheat oven to 180ºC; line two baking sheets with baking paper, lightly coated with cooking spray. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Sift together flour, soda, and salt; set aside.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat; stir in cocoa powder and sugar (mixture will resemble coarse sand). Add yogurt and vanilla, stirring to combine. Add flour mixture, stirring until moist. If using caramel and sea salt:  Wrap the chocolate dough around the caramel balls. Place balls on cookie sheets and sprinkle with sea salt.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until almost set - cookies should be nice and soft when you remove them from oven. Cool on pans two to three minutes or until firm. Remove cookies from pans; cool on wire racks.