INGREDIENTS:
SHORTBREAD COOKIE:
- 1 ½ cups salted butter, softened (see notes)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
CARAMEL AND CHOCOLATE:
- 1 (11-ounce) bag caramels (such as Kraft)
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 10 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- Maldon Sea Salt, for sprinkling
INSTRUCTIONS:
PREP: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter for 30 seconds and then add the powdered sugar and cream them together, about 1 minute. Add the vanilla and the flour until the flour is mostly mixed in. The dough will be shaggy and that’s okay, we’ll work the rest by hand.
COOKIES: Flour a clean work surface. I like to do this on a silicone mat placed on a clean counter as it makes the job much easier! Dump out the dough and pull it together without working it too much, sprinkling with a little bit of flour if it’s sticking. Roll the dough out until it’s ½ inch thick, using a rolling pin. Using a 2-inch circle cookie cutter, cut out shapes. Dip the cutter in flour as needed so it doesn’t stick to the dough. Add the cookies to the lined baking sheet, about 1 inch apart and bake the cookies for roughly 13-16 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool before attempting to move them to a wire rack. Completely before spreading the caramel and chocolate.
CARAMEL AND CHOCOLATE: Combine the unwrapped caramels and the heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl and zap in 30-second increments, stirring in between until the caramel melts. Spread the caramel on the cooled cookies using a spoon or a small offset spatula leaving a small rim around the corner. Allow the caramel to cool for several minutes or if you’re in a hurry, pop the cookies in the freezer for about 5-7 minutes while you prepare the chocolate.
CHOCOLATE: Add roughly ⅔’s of the chocolate to another microwave-safe bowl and melt for 30 seconds, stir and continue to pop into microwave for 10-15 seconds (stirring in between) until the chocolate melts. Add half the remaining chocolate and stir to combine, when it melts, add the remaining chocolate and continue to stir until it melts completely. Spread the chocolate over the caramel layer. If at any point the chocolate cools too much, microwave it at half power to bring it back to melted form. Sprinkle with a pinch of Maldon salt, if desired. Allow the chocolate to harden, this should only take 10-15 minutes if it’s cold; you can also pop it in the the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.
NOTES:
if you don’t have salted butter, just add ¾ teaspoons of salt with the all-purpose flour to the cookie dough.
(Source: http://littlespicejar.com/easy-shortbread-twix-cookies/)
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