Apple Cider Caramel Cookies

I am still trying out recipes for the bake sale, and I have had this cookie recipe from Six Sisters Stuff pinned for a while.  The original recipe calls for whole caramels that you wrap the cookie dough around, but having read the comments from others who have made this, I decided to use caramel bits and mix them through the dough so the whole cookie has caramel rather than just the center.

1 cup unsalted butter, nearly melted
1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (7.4 ounce) box Alpine spiced apple cider drink mix

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all purpose flour
1 bag Kraft caramel bits

Preheat oven to 350 and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter, sugar and salt.  Add in the apple cider mix and beat until smooth. Beat in the eggs and vanilla, followed by the baking soda and baking powder. Add the flour and mix until just combined, stir in the caramel bits.
Using a cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough onto the lined baking sheets and sprinkle sugar over the top of the cookies. 
Bake 12 to 14 minutes.