Happy Christmas and happy holidays to all my friends and followers. I hope you spend these days, surrounded by thosewhom you hold dear, with tables ladened with delicious foods and drinks.
I know I've been remiss in posting my kitchen adventures these past few weeks. Lots of things have kept me busy...and out of the kitchen. I hope to get back into the swing of things in the new year...but until then, I have but a plate of caramel cup cookies to offer you and Santa.
These cookies are baked in two-bite or mini muffin tins and the end result is a cookie-encased caramel cup, kissed with whisky (What? Given all the busy-ness of the season, a little extra, hidden Christmas cheer is never a bad thing).
Caramel Cup CookiesYield: 24
Ingredients
125g (225ml/ 1c less 1Tbsp and 2tsp) all purpose flour
0.25tsp (1.25ml) salt
0.5tsp (2.5ml) bicarbonate of soda
110g (125ml/0.5c) softened butter
100g (125ml/0.5c) brown sugar
1 egg
0.5tsp (2.5ml) vanilla extract
Splash of whisky (optional)
24 mini caramel cups, denuded of papers and set in the freezer for at least 15 minutes
Method
Preheat oven to 190C/375F.
Sift together flour and bicarb. Set aside
Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Incorporate vanilla, salt and egg. Add flour mixture and mix well.
Divide the batter into 24 equal portions--approximately the size of a chestnut. Roll into balls and plop one into each of the 24 mini bun pans.
Bake for about 10 minutes. The edges will be golden, but the centres will be this side of anemic.
Immediately after you take the tray out of the oven, spritz or dribble the whisky into each cookie before shoving a frozen caramel cup into the centre of each hot cookie.
Let cool in the pan before popping out.
jasmine
