by Kelly J. Larson

Behold my new favorite cookie, apparently — I have made 96 of them in the past two days and plan to create several more next week. Who can resist a homemade caramel topped shortbread thumbprint cookie drizzled with chocolate? The recipe is from my first food blogger crush, Mel’s Kitchen Cafe, with a few of tweaks of how I prepare them, and a name change. I just can’t call them Twixster cookies. Blech, Twix bars. These are a bajillion times better!

Caramel Shortbread Cookies

The homemade caramel can be made in advance, then use a portion of it to make the cookies.

Caramel

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 16 ounces heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a large pan, heat butter on low until melted. Add corn syrup, sugar, salt, 8 ounces of the heavy cream, turning up the heat slightly. As the mixture gets hotter, add the remaining heavy cream, and increase stove to between medium and medium high.

Use a candy thermometer and heat the bubbling mixture until 242 F degrees, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat and quickly stir in vanilla. Immediately pour the caramel into a silicone tray or a parchment paper-lined square pan. Set aside until it cools, then cut into individual caramels or about 1/6 of it for the cookie recipe garnish. You will only use a small portion of the caramels to top one batch of cookies.

Shortbread Cookies

• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 egg yolks
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2-1/4 cups flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar together for 2 minutes. Add salt, vanilla and eggs. Add flour, mixing until everything is combined.

Using a medium sized stainless steel scoop, make 24 dough balls on two Silpat lined baking sheets.

You can either roll the dough balls in your hands to be smooth or stick with the natural form using the scoop to form them. I can’t decide with look I prefer.

Form a thumbprint in the centers of each cookie with a small measuring spoon. Bake for 11 minutes. Makes 24 cookies.

Garnishing the cookies

• 1 cup (approximately) of heated caramels
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 teaspoons Crisco vegetable shortening

Cut off a segment of the homemade caramel to equal about 1 cup, then heat for 30 seconds on high in the microwave. Spoon a small dollop of caramel into the centers of each cookie.

Combine chocolate chips and shortening in small micro cooker and heat on high for 1 minute. Spoon into drizzling tool or into a plastic zippered bag with a tiny tip cut off. Drizzle melted chocolate over the cookies.

Before stacking or packaging the cookies, the chocolate needs to set again. To speed the process, the refrigerator will help.

The caramel is soft and chewy while the shortbread cookie is buttery and the two go perfectly together.