These soft and chewy Rolo Cookies hold a sweet secret—a gooey caramel candy surprise is inside. Easy to make with only 5 ingredients, these treats take a classic chocolate cookie over the top!
Rolo-Filled Chocolate Cookies
Our chocolate Rolo Cookies recipe is easy to make because it uses my favorite shortcut to save time and required ingredients: it combines a sugar cookie mix with cocoa powder, butter, and an egg to create the batter.
Two Rolo candies are wrapped inside the raw cookie dough to conceal the chocolate caramel center, then the balls are baked for 10-15 minutes until the tops begin to crack, and the edges become crispy.
Rolo-filled chocolate cookies are so much fun to eat, especially when biting into the middle reveals a rich caramel surprise baked right inside the batter.
This Rolo cookie recipe is always a family favorite – fudgy with a gooey caramel center. They can even look fancy with a sprinkling of sugar crystals or powder sugar coating.
Why We Love Rolo Cookie Recipes
- Quick and easy to make.
- Uses a handful of simple ingredients.
- Using a bag of cookie mix makes this recipe super simple and leaves you with one bowl to clean and minimal measuring.
- Creamy caramel, rich chocolate, and cocoa all in one bite.
- Delicious dessert with a sweet candy surprise hidden inside.
- Perfect for cookie platters, parties, potlucks, and holidays.
Rolo Cookies Ingredients
- Sugar cookie mix
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Salted butter: You can substitute unsalted butter, but I recommend adding a pinch or two of salt for flavor balance.
- Egg
- Rolo candy
Substitutions and Additions
- Make With Another Mix: You can make this recipe with your other favorite cookie mixes, such as peanut butter cookie mix or Snickerdoodle cookie mix.
- Grab A Garnish: You can roll your cookie balls in sanding sugar or powdered sugar before baking for a bit of extra sweetness.
Recommended Tools
- Cookie sheets
- Parchment paper
- Cookie scoop
- Plastic wrap
How to Make Rolo Cookies
- Create The Cookie Dough: Whisk together the sugar cookie mix and cocoa powder. Beat in the butter and egg until a thick dough forms.
- Scoop And Stuff: Scoop the dough and flatten it into a disc. Place two Rolos in the center of the disc and roll it into a smooth ball.
Pro Tip: If you want, roll each ball in sanding or powdered sugar, but it’s completely optional. - Chill: Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Bake: Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes or until set on the edges and the top begins to crack.
- Serve: Cool or serve warm. Enjoy!
Tips For Making The Best Rolo Cookies
- You will need at least a sharing-size bag for this recipe. I recommend buying a bag of the unwrapped Rolos as they are easier to work with and will save you the hassle of unwrapping 48 Rolos.
- To avoid the dough sticking to your hands, lightly spray your fingertips with non-stick cooking spray.
- Don’t over-bake your cookies! They don’t really brown, so you have to keep an eye on the texture of the top of the cookie. They may appear soft coming out of the oven, but they will continue to bake and set on the cookie sheet once they’re out of the oven.
How to Store Rolo Cookies
- To Store: Store your cookies in an airtight bag or container at room temperature for 5-7 days or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- To Freeze: Store your cookies in a freezer-safe bag in the freezer for up to 2 months.
How To Store The unbaked Cookie Dough
One of the best things about these cookies is that the dough is easy to store in the refrigerator or the freezer! I like to make up several dozen cookie balls and then freeze them for later use.
First, freeze them on a cookie sheet in a single layer for 30-60 minutes. Then you can place them all in an airtight, freezer-safe container or bag and store them for up to 2 months. When the craving hits, the dough can be cooked frozen, but it may need a few extra minutes.
If you want to store this cookie dough in the refrigerator, I recommend rolling each ball in powdered or sanding sugar so they don’t stick together and then storing them in an airtight bag or container for 3-5 days.
More Easy Cookie Recipes
More Great Cookie Recipes
- Meringue Cookies
- Shortbread Cookies
- Peanut Butter Stuffed Cookies
- Cake Mix Cookies
- Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Maple Cookies
- Cosmic Brownie Cookies
- Snickers Cookies
Rolo Cookies
Ingredients
- 17.5 ounce bag of sugar cookie mix
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter softened
- 1 large egg
- 48 Rolos unwrapped
- Sanding or powdered sugar optional garnish
Instructions
- Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper, but don’t preheat the oven yet.
- Whisk together the sugar cookie mix and cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl.
- Using a hand or stand mixer, beat in the butter and egg until a thick dough forms.
- Scoop out a large ball of dough using a 1 ½ Tablespoon cookie scoop and flatten it into a disc.
- Place two unwrapped Rolos in the center of the disc and gently form into a smooth ball.
- Roll in sanding sugar or powdered sugar, optional, and then place the ball on a prepared cookie sheet.
- Repeat with the remaining dough until all cookie sheets have been filled with cookies placed about 2 inches apart.
- Once the dough has all been rolled, cover the cookie sheets with plastic wrap and place them in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Several minutes before you intend to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Once the oven is preheated, remove the cookies from the refrigerator and discard the plastic wrap.
- Bake the cookies for 10-15 minutes or until set on the edges and the top begins to crack.
- Remove from the oven and cool for at least 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack or serving warm.
Jenn’s Notes
- To Store: Store your cookies in an airtight bag or container at room temperature for 5-7 days or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- To Freeze: Store your cookies in a freezer-safe bag in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- You will need at least a sharing-size bag for this recipe. I recommend buying a bag of the unwrapped Rolos as they are easier to work with and will save you the hassle of unwrapping 48 Rolos.
- To avoid the dough from sticking to your hands, you can lightly spray your fingertips with non stick cooking spray.
- Don’t over-bake your cookies! They don’t really brown, so you have to keep an eye on the texture of the top of the cookie. They may appear a bit soft coming out of the oven, but they will continue to bake and set on the cookie sheet once they’re out of the oven.
