Special Edition: What came first - the cookie or the cake? Caramel, Butterscotch Cookie

My butterscotch, caramel Claire cookie

For those of you that read my 2nd post about the Caramel Cake I made when I read the book The Help, you may understand of why I wanted to attempt something a little bit easier for my next baking activity.  I was heading to a BBQ, and wanted to bring some cookies, and I didn't want to have to leave my house to buy any ingredients, so I used what I had, and I think a masterpiece was made.

Ingredients:
1 box moist yellow cake mix (I used Betty Crocker Butter Recipe Mix)
1 stick of butter (melted)
1/3 cup of packed light brown sugar
1 bag (or almost a bag) of butterscotch chips (I used Toll House - the normal small/medium size bag)
2 eggs (I used extra large Eggland's Best)
1 tsp of vanilla
1 cup leftover frosting from my caramel cake (or any caramel sauce would do)

Instructions:
* Pre-Heat your oven to 350 degrees
1) Pour the cake mix into a bowl
2) Stir in the brown sugar
3) Put an unwrapped stick of butter in the microwave (in a cup) for 30-60 seconds to melt
4) Pour the butter into the mix and hand stir
5) Add in the 2 eggs and hand stir
6) Add in the vanilla and hand stir
7) Add in about 3/4 of the bag of the butterscotch chips (less or more as you like)
8) Continue to hand stir until the dough is shiny and forms into a big ball
9) Put the dough in the fridge for a few minutes so it is easier to handle (about 15 mins, and put it in there whenever you are waiting between batches)
10) Take a big tablespoon full or so (I didn't measure) of the dough and roll into a ball (doesn't have to be exact) and place on cookie sheet.  I made 3 batches and was able to make 2 batches of 12 cookies and also a 3rd batch of three cookies only.  (If you make smaller ones, you might make more)
11) Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes (less if you make small ones).  They should look a little bit undone - that is OK and is what makes them good. 
12) Let them sit on the tray for 2 minutes (or until they look like you can move without destroying them).  Take a sharp spatula and quickly and boldly move those cookies onto a sheet of wax paper to cool
13) This next step is OPTIONAL:   I had about a cup of the leftover caramel frosting from my cake and I put it in the microwave to make into a caramel sauce. I had to mix in a little cream to get it going.  I then drizzled the sauce over each cookie.  If you don't have this frosting, you could quickly make a caramel sauce by boiling brown sugar and butter and a little milk or you could make a glaze with powdered sugar and milk or you could buy a caramel sauce.

These are awesome.  Everyone at the party thought they were insanely good.  If they are NOT melt in your mouth delicious, then you baked them too long.  If they don't rise, check how old your cake mix is, or if your oven temp is off.  Also if the dough was too warm before you put them in the oven, they might not rise as well.

Also, I have to give a shout out to Claire.  Claire is a lady my ALTA team played several years ago at an away match up in Cherokee county, and she brought awesome chocolate cookies to our match.  She told us she made them from a cake mix recipe in the Cake Mix Doctor book.  Over the years, I used this "idea" to make all kinds of cookies. Claire, from ALTA, wherever you are, thanks!!!