Getting Started with Those Caramel Cookies
Okay, so I decided to tackle these caramel sandwich cookies today. Been meaning to try them for ages, you know? Saw a picture somewhere and just couldn’t get it out of my head. Felt like a good weekend project.
First things first, I pulled out all the stuff I needed. Flour, sugar (both white and brown, the recipe said), butter, eggs, vanilla, baking soda, a pinch of salt. Pretty standard cookie ingredients, nothing too crazy. Checked the fridge – yep, butter was soft enough. Good start.
Making the Cookie Dough
So, I tossed the softened butter into my big mixing bowl. Added the sugars. Got the mixer going, creamed them together until they looked light and fluffy. Always like that part. Then, cracked in an egg, poured in some vanilla extract. Mixed that up. Smelled good already.
Next up, the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, I whisked the flour, baking soda, and salt together. Just gave it a quick stir. Then, I gradually added this flour mix to the wet stuff in the main bowl, mixing on low speed. Didn’t want flour flying everywhere, you know? Mixed it just until it all came together into a nice dough. Looked pretty good, not too sticky.
The recipe said to chill the dough. Always the hardest part, waiting. Wrapped the dough ball in plastic wrap and stuck it in the fridge. Went and made a cup of tea while I waited. Probably needed about an hour, I figured.
Baking Time!
Alright, dough felt firm. Perfect. Fired up the oven, got it preheating. While that was warming up, I lightly floured my counter. Pulled out the chilled dough, unwrapped it. Rolled it out – aiming for maybe a quarter-inch thick? Something like that. Used a round cutter to punch out the cookies. Had to re-roll the scraps a couple of times to use up most of the dough.
Lined my baking sheets with parchment paper. Always makes cleanup easier. Carefully placed the cookie rounds onto the sheets, leaving a bit of space between them. Slid the first sheet into the hot oven.
Set the timer. Kept an eye on them. You know how cookies can go from perfect to burnt in like, thirty seconds. They started to puff up a little and get golden around the edges. The kitchen smelled amazing. Pulled them out when they looked just right. Let them sit on the sheet for a few minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely. Did the same for the next batch.
The Caramel Bit
While the cookies were cooling down – and this is important, they gotta be completely cool – I started on the caramel filling. This is the part I was slightly nervous about. Caramel can be tricky.
Put sugar in a saucepan. Added a splash of water. Turned the heat on medium. Watched it like a hawk. Didn’t stir it much at first, just let the sugar melt and bubble. Swirled the pan gently now and then. Slowly, slowly, it started turning that lovely amber color. Took it off the heat right when it looked perfect – didn’t want it burning.
Then, carefully stirred in some butter. It sputtered a bit, gotta be careful. Once the butter melted in, I stirred in some heavy cream. It bubbled up again but calmed down as I kept stirring. Kept stirring until it was smooth. Phew! Looked like actual caramel. Let that cool down a bit too, so it wouldn’t just melt the cookies.
Putting It All Together
Okay, cookies cool, caramel slightly cooled but still spreadable. Time for assembly!
Laid out half the cookies flat side up. Spooned a dollop of caramel onto each one. Didn’t put too much, didn’t want it oozing out everywhere. Then, took the remaining cookies and gently pressed them on top, making little sandwiches. Simple as that.
- Matched up cookies of similar size.
- Spread caramel evenly but not too close to the edge.
- Gave a gentle press to sandwich them.
Ended up with a decent pile of them. A few might have cracked slightly during assembly, but hey, those are the baker’s treats, right?
Let them sit for a bit for the caramel to set properly. Then, finally, the taste test. Oh yeah. Crispy cookie, chewy, gooey caramel filling. Absolutely worth the effort. Pretty pleased with how they turned out, honestly. Now to see how fast they disappear.
