I was attending another gathering with friends and needed to bring some baked goods for the occasion. Since it was during the holiday season, I wanted to make something quick, easy, and not too complicated. A friend of mine who was also attending is gluten free, and I of course wanted to make sure I baked something that she could actually enjoy. I also knew I wanted to go the cookie-route, since I feel like cookies are often simple to bake and you can make a lot at once.
I began my search and I realized searching for "gluten free cookies" narrowed down my options too much. By searching for regular cookies that had standard ingredients, I could simply swap out the regular all-purpose flour in any recipe for 1 to 1 gluten free flour, and bam, we got some gluten free cookies (as long as there is no other gluten in the recipe!)!
I came across this recipe from a website called Cooking Classy, and realized I had actually it saved for a while, but never actually tried to make them. Caramel gives me some serious warm and cozy vibes which is perfect for a nice little friend gathering, so I decided to finally go for it!
This recipe was really simple if you follow it step-by-step, especially the part about not letting the butter get too melted, and ensuring you refrigerate your dough for at least 45 minutes-an hour before baking. These are key steps to making sure this recipe will be a success!
I absolutely love these cookies. It's a buttery thumbprint cookie filled with a sweet caramel filling all topped with a lovely coating of chocolate and a sprinkle of sea salt. It has all the flavor profiles of a Twix bar (hence the name!). You can even dip the bottom of the cookies into melted chocolate for more of a candy-bar like texture. This recipe makes almost 30 cookies, which is perfect if you need a large amount in a pinch! A great year-round recipe, and will wow guests at any gathering or party.
Magickal Ingredient Featured
Chocolate: Properties of chocolate include self-love, romance, prosperity, grounding, focus, positivity, creativity, and motivation.
The Recipe
Servings: About 28-30
Prep: 35 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Ready in about: 1 hour 5 minutes
Here's What You Need:
2 1/4 cups (318g) all-purpose flour (or 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour)*
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened about halfway*
2/3 cup (140g) granulated sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
26 (208g) soft caramels such as Kraft, unwrapped
3 1/2 Tbsp heavy cream
3/4 cup (128g) milk or dark chocolate chips or chopped chocolate*
Maldon sea salt flakes or Fleur de Sel, optional
Here's What To Do:
For the cookies:Â In a mixing bowl whisk together flour and salt, set aside. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until well combined.
Mix in egg yolks and vanilla extract then with mixer set on low speed, slowly add in flour mixture and mix just until combined.Â
Scoop dough out 1 Tbsp at a time (24g) and shape into balls then place on a flat surface and make an indentation in middle of cookies with thumb.Â
Transfer to plates (leaving a little space between cookies for even chilling. Also don't just make indentation when cookies are on plates or they'll likely stick unless you use parchment paper!) and chill in refrigerator 45 - 60 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees halfway through chilling cookies.
Transfer cookies to a baking sheet lined with a silicone liner or parchment paper, spacing cookies 2-inches apart (keep remaining shaped cookies chilled). Bake in preheated oven 14 - 15 minutes until set.Â
Remove from oven and immediately use the back of a rounded teaspoon to make a deeper indentation in center (as it likely flattened out a bit while baking). Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
For the caramel filling:Â Add caramels and cream to a medium mixing bowl. Heat in microwave on 50% power in 30 second increments, stirring well between intervals, until melted and smooth.Â
Spoon caramel into center of thumbprints (I used a butterknife for this and had a much easier time that using a spoon!) adding just enough to fit without overflowing (about 1 heaping tsp). Rewarm as needed if it get's to thick and sticky.
For the chocolate drizzle: place chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and heat in microwave on 50% power in 30 second increments, stirring well between intervals, until melted and smooth.Â
Pour melted chocolate chocolate into a small resealable bag or piping bag, cut a tiny tip from corner and drizzle over tops of cookies. Sprinkle with sea salt if using.Â
Allow chocolate to set at room temperature or in refrigerator. Store in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
These can easily be made gluten free by using 1 to 1 gluten free flour. I often use the Target brand, Bob's Red Mills brand, or King Arthur Baking brand.
Butter should only indent slightly when touched. If it's too well softened cookies will spread more.
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