Rosemary Caramel Sandwich Cookies

This recipe has become a sort of tradition around Christmas for our household.  We love to hand these out to friends along with a variety of other treats.  Make sure you have a candy thermometer to accurately check the temperature! 

Rosemary Caramel Sandwich Cookies

Ingredients:

Cookies:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, divided

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Caramel Filling:

1/2 cup butter

4 sprigs fresh rosemary

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

1 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small saucepan, over low heat, melt 1/2 cup butter until brown.  Remove from heat and cool.  In a bowl, cream together 1/2 cup butter and sugar, until light and fluffy.  Add browned butter and mix well.  Add egg and vanilla and beat until blended.  Add flour and baking powder and mix until blended.  Flatten dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap.  Chill dough until firm (about 1 hour).

Preheat oven to 350. 

Roll out dough and cut into small scalloped rounds (cookie cutters work nicely).  Bake on a parchment-lined cookie sheet about 8 to 10 minutes or until edges begin to brown.  Cool on a wire rack.

To make the caramel, melt butter over low heat in a saucepan.  Pound the rosemary sprigs until flattened and add to butter.  Cook over low heat about 10 minutes.  Remove the rosemary.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Increase heat to medium-high and bring mixter to a boil, stir frequently.  Reduce heat to medium and continue boiling (keep stirring frequently) until caramel reaches 242.  Remove from heat.  Quickly put a spoonful of caramel on a cookie and top with another cookie.  Continue until all the cookies have been sandwiched.

ENJOY!

Beer Cupcakes

Beer cupcakes!

Huh?… Yes, you heard me. BEER CUPCAKES. Quite possibly the best food invention ever (next to red wine of course). I made the following recipe a few years ago for St. Patrick’s Day and it was a big hit. I’ve been meaning to make it again but haven’t gotten around to it. Someday, beer cupcakes, you will be mine again.

P.S. – When I made these, I added irish whiskey to the frosting recipe and it was heavenly.

INGREDIENTS

Cupcake:

1 cup Guinness
1 stick, plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups dark brown sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Frosting:

8 oz cream cheese
1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar
1/3 cup milk
A smidge of Irish Whiskey if you please

1. Preheat oven to 350. Put your liners in the muffin pan OR here’s a tip I learned from Cook’s: if you buy foil liners they can stand up on their own on a simple cookie sheet (the light color coating kind is usually better for baking). Then you end up with browning on the bottom but not too much on the sides. GENIUS!

2. Combine the Guinness and the butter (chopped into 1-inch chunks), in a large sauce pan, and heat the butter to melt it. Remove from heat. Whisk in cocoa and sugar. In a seperate bowl, whisk the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. Add beer mixture.

3. Sift together the flour and baking soda. Fold into the batter.

4. Pour into cupcake liners/pan, and bake 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of one comes out clean.

5. With a mixer, whip cream cheese until smooth, sift in the sugar, and beat. Add milk, and whiskey if so desired, and beat until smooth. Spread over cooled cupcakes.

ENJOY!!!