Chocolate-Caramel Cookies

So I think it's about time I share a dessert recipe...after all, my blog is called Short and Sweet. After my embarrassing showing at the first annual cookie swap last year, I am on a mission to redeem myself (hey, our old apartment had a microwave for an oven, so it made it very difficult to "bake" cookies!). My goal is to avoid last place this year, so this is experimental cookie swap recipe #1. I am trying to stay true to myself and stick with chocolate, yet still add a little twist. A distant yet delicious relative of the Oreo, these are small chocolate sandwich cookies with a special caramel filling. The "secret" ingredient is Fleur de Sel which is a mild, French finishing salt. Fleur de Sel is also magical on brittles and caramel candies, but I'll save that for another day :o)  Enjoy...

Caramel

2 ¼ c. sugar

1 ¾ c. heavy whipping cream

1/3 c. honey

1 tbsp. light corn syrup

2 tbsp. vanilla extract

¼ c. (½ stick) butter, diced

Dough

1 ½ c. all purpose flour

2/3 c. natural unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ tsp. salt

1 c. plus 1 tbsp. sugar

¾ c. (1 ½ sticks) butter, room temperature

1 large egg

Special Equipment

Candy Thermometer

1 ½ in. round cookie cutter

1 in. round cookie cutter

Fleur de Sel (optional, but recommended)

Make the caramel: spray the bottom of an 8x8x2 in. pan, put a layer of parchment, then spray again. In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, cream, honey, and corn syrup. Stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat and insert a candy thermometer (make sure it doesn't touch the bottom of the pot). Boil without stirring until the mixture reaches 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Turn off the heat and stir in the butter until melted and smooth, then add the vanilla and stir. Pour the caramel into the prepared pan and cool until firm.

Make the cookies: pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa, and salt. In a stand mixer or another mixing bowl, beat the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until blended. Gradually stir in the flour mixture until it is just combined. Form the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic. Chill for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, roll out the dough on a floured surface to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Cut 1 1/2 in. rounds, re-rolling scraps until all the dough is gone. Line baking sheets with parchment and place cookies 1 in. apart. Bake for 12 minutes, then allow to cool completely on a cooling rack. 

Cut 1 in. rounds from the caramel. Layer one cookie flat side up, a caramel disk, a few granules of salt, then the top cookie. Smush it (very technical term) slightly to seal the cookie together. Yum!