Getting a Jump on Valentine's Day: A Cookie Tale

So, I did this Saturday.

 

 

It is a combination of a couple of recipes that I sort of mashed together. Not sure what I'm calling them except for AWESOME.

That there, my friends, is a sugar cookie, topped with caramel and then dipped on both sides in dark chocolate.

Otherwise known as decadent yummy goodness.

I started with this as my sugar cookie base. It makes a dozen decent sized heart shaped cookies. It is an excellent cut out sugar cookie on it's own. I've made it three times all with excellent results. Also, FYI, Dessert for Two is a great site for small serving recipes on all kinds of desserts. The one dozen chocolate chip cookie recipe is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe I've every used/tasted.

Then the second part of the recipe inspiration came from here. I tested the original peanut butter twix cookie recipe a few weeks ago to so-so results. Actually, I left the peanut butter off of my test because, well, I wasn't really feeling the whole peanut butter thing at the time. Anyway, I wasn't really all that fond of the shortbread cookie in this recipe. It was very dry and difficult to make. It took me about an hour, no joke. Cutting in cold butter in that large amount is not my favorite thing to do.

I did, however, like the concept of a Twix cookie. I liked the ease of adding the caramel to the cookie melting caramel bits with water. Never would have thought to do/known how to do that on my own.

So while I was making sugar cookies last weekend for the kiddos, I thought, why not sub a sugar cookie instead of the shortbread cookie? Bing-Bang-Boom! Enter this deliciously rich and lovely cookie.

I don't feel right calling it a Twix cookie so I'll just stick to calling them:

Awesome Cookies. :-D

Recipe/instructions
Makes about 12, depending on cookie cutter size.

The cookie: (courtesy: dessertfortwo.com)

 

Ingredients

• ¾ cup flour, plus extra for rolling
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ⅛ teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
2. In a medium bowl, beat together with an electric mixer the butter and sugar. Once light and fluffy, add the egg yolk and extracts. Once well incorporated, sprinkle over half the flour mixture and beat gently until combined, then sprinkle over the rest. Beat until no streaks of flour remain, but be careful not to over-mix. (I find that I have to use my hands to get it to all come together. Just keep that in mind.)
3. Dust a clean counter top with flour, and dump the dough out onto it. Gather it into a ball and press it into a 2″ thick round disk. Flour your rolling pin, then roll out the dough out big enough to cut out about 8 shapes. Place the shapes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Gather the dough scraps and re-roll to cut out 4 more shapes and place them on the cookie sheet.
4. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for 5 minutes while you preheat the oven to 350.
5. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, until the edges of the cookies just start to turn brown. Let them sit on the sheet a few minutes before moving them a wire rack to cool completely.

For the caramel: (adapted from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen

1 quarter of a bag of caramel bits (or caramel candies, unwrapped)

 

In a microwave safe bowl, heat caramel and 1 teaspoon water for a few minutes, stopping to stir every thirty seconds until mixture is smooth. Spoon caramel onto the center of each cooled cookie and spread, stopping just short of the edges. Let set a few minutes.

 

Chocolate coating:

Half a bag of dark chocolate, give or take, depending on the size/quantities of your cookies and how much chocolate stays on after each dunking. Repeat process/quanties as necessary. (I used Hershey's Special Dark)

1/2 tsp. vegetable shortening (add 1/2 tsp or so with any additional chocolate chips.)

 

In the microwave, melt chocolate and vegetable shortening, stopping to stir every thirty seconds until melted and smooth . Carefully dip each cookie by placing it in the chocolate, flipping over to get both sides, allowing excess chocolate to drip off. Place coated cookies on wax paper until chocolate has set.

Use sprinkles as desired or not, depending on your need and mood.

Seriously, Daddy actually moaned out loud upon his first bite. And while I've always known him to be a choco-cookie-holic, I have never heard such a spontaneously appreciative noise from him upon eating anything. So I'm kinda thinking they were good.  :-D