My classwork for my masters class has been going really well lately. The best way to celebrate is to make treats. I love looking through fun cooking blogs and finding unique recipes. This is just one of those recipes. I got the idea from The Pastry Affair. At first, neither Zach or myself cared for it. It was just too rich/sweet. I decided to put them in the freezer. Items usually appear in the freezer for one of two reasons. 1. It isn't looking like the same consistency it was when I first made it, but I can't throw food out. So, I put it in the freezer where it just ends up getting freezer burnt. After a couple months, I find it and think, this is so freezer burnt, no one can eat it. At that point I feel that it is ok to throw out. I don't do this on purpose. It's just a pattern I've started to notice.
The second reason....I love how some consistencies of food change when frozen. For example, I love frozen grapes. They're fabulous to eat when it's hot outside. And it seems like you get more for your money, b/c you eat them much slower. There also is a type of yogurt here in Taiwan that I love frozen. It's almost like ice-cream consistency when placed in the freezer. (which finding a sweet, yummy ice-cream in Taiwan is hard to come by...well, unless you go to Coldstone.)
So for the twix treats, I opted for the latter option, but realistically thought that it would turn into the first option. Of course, the next day when I was really craving some kind of sugar, I realized it was absolutely delicious frozen! Now, I know that not everyone's taste buds are the same, but if you decide to make this treat, definitely put one in the freezer and see what you think. The freezer was the only way that Zach was gonna eat almost a full treat. It was just too sweet/rich for him otherwise.
Twix Cookies Yields 36 cookies
Shortbread Cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Lightly grease a mini-muffin pan.
Beat together the butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the flour and continue beating until the mixture has the appearance and texture of sand.
Heap the dough into the muffin cups. Press firmly into the cups. Make a circular indent with your thumb to make a nice pocket for the caramel. Bake shortbread cookies for 15 minutes, no more no less. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan before moving to a cooling rack.
Caramel
1 cup sugar
5 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
(I accidentally burned the first batch of caramel. Be careful not to have the stove up too high).
To prepare the caramel, heat the sugar in a thick-bottomed large saucepan on a moderately high heat. As the sugar begins to melt, stir quickly to allow for even heating. Once boiling, do not stir the sugar. Once the sugar is a dark amber in color (like an old penny), add butter. Whisk until the butter is melted. Remove from heat.
Wait a few seconds before adding the cream. The sugar will boil, bubble, and steam like crazy (watch out for your hands) and whisk until caramel becomes smooth. Let cool.
Fill the cooled shortbread cookies with caramel and allow to settle.
 |
While I was making the caramel, it reminded me of my Grandma's house. She would often make caramel candies or use a caramel icing on top of zucchini bread.
