Chocolate Caramel Cookies

7 tbl butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons cocoa
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
25 caramel candies
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
2 cups milk chocolate candy coating chips
2 tablespoons white chocolate candy coating chips


1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the vanilla. In a separate bowl, combined the oats, flour, and cocoa. Add to the butter mixture. Stir in the pecans. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and pat to a 1/8 inch thickness. Cut with a 1-inch round cookie cutter. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the sheets and cool on wire racks.
2. While the cookies are cooling, in a medium saucepan, melt the caramels with the milk. Stir until smooth. Place about 1/2 tsp. caramel on top of one cookie and top with another cookie. If the caramel runs off the cookie, wait a couple of minutes for it to thicken. Chill for about 15 minutes to set the caramel.
3. Melt the milk chocolate chips in the microwave or the top of a double boiler until smooth. If you're using the microwave, place the chocolate in a shallow bowl, heat for 1 minute, stir, heat for 30 seconds more, and stir. The chocolate will be more melted than it looks; don't bur it! Remove the cookies from the refrigerator and dip each cookie into melted chocolate. Place on wax paper to cool.