Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper and set it aside. Measure out all the dry ingredients—old-fashioned oats, instant caramel pudding mix, chopped dried apples, white chocolate chips, and toffee bits—and set them aside to make assembly easy later on.

In a large saucepan, combine the unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and evaporated milk. Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil over medium to medium-high heat, stirring frequently to avoid burning. As soon as the mixture begins a vigorous boil, immediately remove it from the heat to prevent overcooking.

Stir the vanilla extract into the hot caramel base. Then add the measured oats, chopped dried apples, and dry caramel pudding mix to the pot. Mix well to combine. Let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes—this helps the oats and apples absorb the caramel flavor and slightly cools the mixture before adding chocolate.

Once the oat mixture has cooled for 15 minutes, gently stir in the white chocolate chips and toffee bits. This prevents the chocolate from melting completely. I like to reserve a tablespoon of toffee bits to sprinkle on top for extra crunch.

Drop spoonfuls of the cookie mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt over the top of each cookie for a delicious sweet-salty contrast.

Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet until set. Once cooled, transfer to an airtight container for storage. I find these cookies taste even better the next day after the flavors meld.