BISCUIT HEAVENWWW.FOODHEAVENMAG.COM OCTOBER baking heaven 47
Salted caramel
chocolate chip cookies
MAKES 12
For the salted caramel
100g (3½oz) water
235g (8¼oz) caster sugar
170g (6oz) double cream
sea salt, to taste
For the cookie dough
50g (2oz) unsalted butter, at
room temperature
54g (2oz) tahini or smooth
peanut butter
92g (3¼oz) caster sugar
92g (3¼oz) dark brown sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
50g (2oz) free-range whole egg
(about 1), lightly beaten
108g (3¾oz) plain flour
108g (3¾oz) strong white
bread flour
8g (¼oz) baking powder
¼ tsp sea salt
150g (5oz) dark chocolate, at
least 66% cocoa solids, roughly
chopped
50g (2oz) toasted sesame seeds
or chopped roasted
peanuts, for sprinkling (optional)
sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)1 First make the salted caramel – it can
be prepared the day before baking or
earlier on the day of baking. Place the
water and sugar in a medium saucepan,
cover and heat over a low heat until the
sugar dissolves and the liquid is clear.
Stir regularly and keep the lid on the
pan as this will stop sugar cr ystals
forming around the edges, which will
affect the caramel.
2 When the sugar has dissolved,
increase the heat and bring to the boil,
but do not stir. When the caramel begins
to turn dark brown, af ter 5 -10 minutes,
swirl the sugar mix in the pan a few
times, then remove from the heat.
3 Quickly and carefully add the cream
and stir in with a whisk – it will spit and
bubble. Stir over a low heat until smooth,
for another minute or so. The darker the
caramel the stronger the flavour and the
firmer the set will be, but don’t overheat
it or the caramel will be bitter. Add salt totaste while the caramel is warm. Allow
to cool and store in the fridge until
needed, or for up to one week.
4 To make the cookies, place the butter,
tahini or peanut but ter, sugars and
vanilla in a medium bowl and mix with
an electric mixer or a spatula until
slightly pale. Don’t overmix or the
cookies will spread too much on baking.
Add the egg, in two additions, beating in
well. Add both of the flours, baking
powder and salt and fold in. Just before
it is fully mixed, stir in the chocolate.
5 Divide the dough into 12 x 60g (2½oz)
balls. Chill for a minimum of 2 hours, or
for up to 5 days and bake from cold.
6 When you are ready to bake, preheat
the oven to 160°C/ Gas Mark 3.
7 Arrange balls of cookie dough in
evenly spaced rows on a large baking
tray lined with parchment. Bake for
15-18 minutes until golden around the
edges and still soft in the centre. Use a
spoon to drizzle with cold caramel, as
they come out of the oven, then sprinkle
with toasted sesame seeds, peanuts or
a pinch of sea salt, if desired. Leave to
cool on the tray.resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Don’t
overmix at this stage. Add the egg yolks
and your choice of the four flavourings
and mix briefly until the dough comes
together in a uniform ball.
2 Form the dough into a fat disc, wrap in
clingfilm and chill for 30-60 minutes.
You can chill for longer, even overnight,
but the dough will need some time to
soften before rolling.
3 Place the caster sugar in a bowl. Line
a baking tray with baking parchment.
4 Briefly knead the dough again on an
unfloured work surface until it is
smooth, but still cold.
5 On a lightly floured surface, roll out
the dough. Roll away from yourself from
the centre of the piece outward, and
turn the dough with a quarter turn with
each roll. This will prevent the dough
crumbling and breaking or getting stuck
to the surface. Work quickly as you roll,
as the dough needs to be cool to get the
best shape for the biscuits.
6 When the dough is about 1cm (½in)
thick, lay the edible flowers over the
dough – you can be as precise or as free
as you wish with their placing. Continue
rolling until the dough is about 5mm
(¼in) thick, pushing the flowers into
the surface of the dough as you roll.
7 Cut out the biscuits using a 5cm
(2½in) cutter. Dip each biscuit in the
caster sugar to coat both sides. Place on
the lined tray. The dough scraps can be
rerolled once, to cut out more biscuits.
Chill on the tray for at least 30 minutes
before baking.
8 Preheat the oven to 160°C/Gas
Mark 3.
9 Bake the shortbreads for
20-25 minutes, turning the tray after
15 minutes. The shortbreads won’t
colour much – they are ready when
lightly golden on the underside and the
top edges of each biscuit has some
colour. Cool on the tray.
Buying and preparing edible flowers
Smaller flowers need no preparation
for the shortbread biscuits. For larger
flowers, remove the petals from their
thicker bases so they can be easily
pressed into the dough.