Chocolate Truffle Cookies with Sea Salt Caramel Chips

Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350 (F). Prepare two full sheet pans by lining with parchment paper, and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 3 tablespoons HERSHEY'S Natural Unsweetened Cocoa, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Set aside.
Place 20 ounces finely chopped HERSHEY'S Kitchens Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Bar in a double boiler (or, in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of very hot water, with the bottom of the bowl NOT touching the water), using a rubber spatula to stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Once the chocolate is completely melted, remove heat and allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
In the bowl of a freestanding electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar. Beat together on medium-high speed until well combined and the mixture has turned light and fluffy, around 5 minutes.
Once the mixture is light and fluffy, slow the mixer to its lowest setting and add 6 eggs, one at a time, only adding the next egg until the previous egg before it has been fully incorporated into the batter. Once all the eggs have been added, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until the mixture is very light, creamy, and pale in color.
Once the mixture is very light and creamy, add the melted chocolate (from the 3rd step) and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract and mix until just combined. Once combined, lower your mixer speed to its slowest setting and add the flour mixture (from the 2nd step) all at once. BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVERWORK THE BATTER AFTER YOU ADD FLOUR, or your cookies will be tough and I will cry for you. Simply keep mixing on the lowest speed until the dry ingredients have just been incorporated — it's okay to have one or two flour streaks left. At this point, add 1 2/3 cups HERSHEY'S Kitchens Sea Salt Caramel Chips and continue mixing for about 30 seconds, just until the chips have scattered and incorporated themselves into the dough.
Let the dough rest for about 5 to 10 minutes before you start scooping out cookies. The batter is very soft at first, but it starts firming up quickly as it sits, which makes it more difficult to portion. I used about 3 tablespoons of cookie dough (measured out by a cookie dough scoop) for each cookie. Scoop each portion onto the prepared baking sheets, placing them about 2 inches apart. (If you've reserved 1/4 cup of HERSHEY'S Kitchens Sea Salt Caramel Chips for a more photogenic cookie, sprinkle each of the scooped cookie dough mounds with a teaspoon or two of caramel chips; you can gently press the chips into the dough if they bounce off the mounds.)
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven until they are evenly cracked all over the tops and softly set, about 14 to 16 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Allow the cookies to cool completely before removing them from the baking sheets with a metal spatula.

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