Almond Cake

Well, this is pretty much the perfect baked good! I stumbled across this almond cake recipe while browsing David Lebovitz's website one day, and it immediately caught my eye. This reminds me of a really moist and delicious pound cake, but with a significant almond flare (so in other words, "perfect"!). As if it wasn't perfect enough, the whole batter is whipped up in a food processor. Yes, you read that right, a food processor. Not a stand mixer, or a hand mixer, or by hand... a food processor. Yay!
This cake is perfect for dessert, breakfast the next morning, or just to grab as a snack on the go. Enjoy! :o)

Almond Cake

Yield: 1 9-inch cake, or 1 bundt cake

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 can (8 oz) almond paste (I've had luck with Solo and Odense brands)
1 cup AP flour, divided
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, cubed
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
6 large eggs, room temperature
Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Process:
Preheat the oven to 325.

In a small bowl, whisk together 3/4 cups of the flour, baking powder, and salt. 


In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, pulse together the sugar, almond paste, and the remaining 1/4 cup of flour until the mixture resembles sand. The almond paste should be completely broken up. Add the cubed butter and the extracts, and process until the batter is very smooth and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time, pulsing with each addition, pausing to scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Once the eggs are fully incorporated, the batter may look a little curdled, but don't worry! 

Add the flour mixture in two additions, pulsing between each addition. Scrape down the bowl and give one final pulse to ensure everything is well combined. Do not overmix!

Prepare your pan by thoroughly coating with cooking spray, then dusting with flour (tap out the excess). If using a round cake pan, put a round of parchment on the bottom for extra insurance that the cake will come out. If using a bundt pan, ensure that the pan is completely coated, or else the cake will break when you try to remove it!

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 60-70 minutes until deep golden brown on top. The cake should feel set when you press the middle of it.

Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan. Once cool, remove and dust with powdered sugar (optional) then enjoy! Yum!

Source: David Lebovitz

Blueberry Muffins

I'm not usually a breakfast person, but since this little baby has been incubating in me, I am suddenly starving by the time morning rolls around. Like, my stomach grumbles loudly before I even roll out of bed. This is not normal for me. Towards the end of school I resorted to muffins and granola bars, so now that I am on vacation I decided it would be a good idea to make some muffins to have around for my morning starvation. My favorite type of muffins are definitely blueberry, especially when they have a little lemon zing to them and a sugary, crunchy top. Lucky for me, blueberries are in season and looking great, so I set off on my muffin making spree! 

This particular version of the recipe came out great. I made mine a little extra large because I like when the top puffs over and gets a little crunchy (the good type of muffin top, ladies!). These also freeze well - I defrost mine in the microwave on high for about 30 seconds so they get a little warm.

Blueberry Muffins

Makes 10 larger or 12 regular sized muffins

Ingredients

Crumb Topping:

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup slightly softened butter, cubed

Muffins:

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cups sugar

1/2 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp baking powder

1 egg

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp. milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp freshly grated lemon zest

1 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed and dried (feel free to use more than 1 cup. Frozen does not come out as well)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. If you have a muffin pan prone to sticking, I suggest also spraying cooking spray around each cup in case they cook over.

Make the crumb topping: in a small bowl, mix together all crumb topping ingredients using a fork. Set aside.

Make the muffins: in a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder until combined. Add the egg, oil, milk, vanilla, and lemon and stir until just combined. Gently fold in the blueberries.

Evenly scoop the batter into the muffin pans (fill 10 cups 7/8 full, or 12 cups about 3/4 full). Spoon the crumb topping evenly over each muffin before baking.

Bake at 400F until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean (for larger muffins about 22-25 minutes, for regular sized muffins about 18-22 minutes). Allow to cool slightly, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Check out those blueberries!!

Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

I am a sucker for cute desserts. "Cute" can have a wide array of meaning, depending on my cravings, but one thing is for certain - if I see a cookie that is frosted beautifully, I can't resist. When I was little, my mom and I would always make Christmas sugar cookies that had strong hint of almond extract in them, much like this recipe. We would cut out the typical holiday shapes, sprinkle the tops with colored sugars and sprinkles, then bake and devour. Simple. Santa was a huge fan. 

I always admired those perfectly iced cookies that you might see as wedding favors or on display in fancy bakeries (you know the ones I'm talking about... they have brightly colored, perfectly smooth and hardened decorative icing tops, almost too pretty to eat? Those). I never thought I could possibly make those on my own, but then Annie entered my life. She did a step by step tutorial for using royal icing to decorate, so I gathered the ingredients and dove in. Success! My cookies are not (and will not ever be) the most elaborate, perfect cookies ever, but considering that I have ZERO artistic ability I am pretty proud of how I can get some cookies to look! Give these a try and see how creative you can be... don't worry if they look terrible, the cookies are still delicious no matter what! :o)

Sugar Cookies

Makes about 3 dozen (depends on size)

Ingredients
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 1/2 cups AP flour, sifted
Royal Icing for decorating, recipe follows


Make the dough: cream together the butter and sugar. Mix in the egg, extracts, and salt. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Slowly mix in the flour until just incorporated. Form the dough into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill the dough until it is firm, about 1 hour (at this point you could double wrap the dough and freeze for up to 6 months - put dough in refrigerator at least a day before you want to bake the cookies).


make the cookies: pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly flour a smooth work surface. Roll the dough to 1/4" thickness (if dough doesn't roll easily at first, allow to warm up for a few minutes then try again). Cut into desired shapes and transfer to a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Bake for 8-10 minutes (cookies should not brown at all!). Allow cookies to cool completely on a wire rack before decorating.


Adapted from Annie's Eats

Royal Icing

Makes about 3 cups

Ingredients
3 tbsp. meringue powder (craft stores with a cake decorating section should have this)
4 cups confectioners sugar
6 tbsp. water
food coloring (I swear by gel food colors... they rock!)


Beat all ingredients together using an electric mixer until peaks form, about 8 minutes. Icing should be stiff. Color as desired (split into individual bowls to make more than one color). Use a piping bag with a small tip to outline the cookies, then allow the outline to set (about 1 hour or more). Keep the unused icing in an airtight container. Once the outlines on the cookies are set, mix a tiny amount of water into the remaining icing. You are making "flood icing" that will spread out to cover the cookie but not be too watery and runny (when you drizzle the icing back into the container it should make ribbons that incorporate back into the other icing in about 5-10 seconds). Flood the cookies using the thinned icing - use a toothpick to pop any air bubbles that form. Allow the flood icing to set completely. You can use leftover outlining icing to decorate on top once the flood icing is completely set.


I usually split the icing process up over 2 days or so to allow adequate drying time between steps. Just plan ahead if you want to decorate this way! :o) 


Adapted from Wilton

Mocha Cupcakes with Kahlua Frosting

If you love coffee, you'll love these cupcakes! Ok, let's be honest, even if you don't love coffee you'll probably love these cupcakes :)  Recently, it was my co-worker's birthday so I decided to make some cupcakes to celebrate. When choosing a flavor, I remembered that she always has a large iced coffee with her, so incorporating that into a cupcake seemed like a logical idea. I happened to have instant espresso powder and Kahlua lying around at home, so I spun them into something truly delicious. Make sure you use instant espresso powder for this recipe as it will dissolve nicely into the batter and frosting. Regular espresso powder will not dissolve and will be grainy... yuck.  To date, I have received more compliments on these cupcakes than anything else I have ever made, so needless to say they will be a go-to recipe for a crowd pleasing dessert! Yum :o)

Mocha Cupcakes with Kahlua Frosting

Makes about 30 cupcakes

Mocha Cupcakes - This is my go-to chocolate cupcake recipe with a twist. I added a little espresso powder to try to make a chocolate-coffee (mocha) cupcake. The end result was a cupcake with a very mild coffee flavor, but a stronger chocolate flavor. I actually liked it so much that I think I will always add a little espresso powder to all of my chocolate cakes from now on!

Ingredients

2 cups white sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 tbsp. instant espresso powder

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

Directions:

In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, espresso, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla and beat with a mixer until well combined. Add the boiling water and beat carefully until combined. Batter will be very thin… it’s ok!

For cupcakes, prepare pan with liners. Fill each cup 2/3 full with batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. This should make around 30 cupcakes. (Batter could also be made into a cake by pouring into 2 9-inch round cake pans and baking for about 30-35 minutes). 

Kahlua Frosting

Ingredients: 

Frosting:
1 cup butter, softened
3 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
3 tbsp. Kahlua coffee liquor
1 tbsp hot water
1 tsp instant espresso granules
1 tsp vanilla

Directions

In a small bowl, dissolve the espresso in the hot water. Stir in the Kahlua and vanilla and set aside. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the butter in a separate bowl until light and fluffy.  Slowly beat in the confectioner’s sugar. Beat in the liquids and continue mixing until frosting is light and fluffy (you might need a little more or less sugar depending on how you pack or measure your sugar, but 3 cups worked perfectly for me).

Once the cupcakes are cooled, frost each with the Kahlua frosting. Top with a chocolate covered espresso bean (optional, but yummy!). Enjoy! :o)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

These muffins were originally from the mother of my childhood friend Julie. I remember that whenever I would go over to her house, sure enough there would be a bag of homemade pumpkin chocolate chip muffins waiting for us in the freezer. All it took was a few minutes in the microwave to warm these tasty treats up and to get the chocolate chips ooey and gooey! Julie’s mom passed along the recipe to my mom (because I raved about them so much) who later passed it to me so I can make them on my own. Ok, so these aren’t exactly the healthiest muffins you’ll ever have, but they sure are delicious! I have made this recipe a little lighter by replacing oil with applesauce, but if you prefer you can replace the applesauce in this recipe with an equal part of canola oil. The pumpkin really makes these muffins moist and delicious (we often refer to them as “muffcakes” due to their cupcake-like qualities). Bake a full batch and freeze the extras. You can microwave one each morning for breakfast or as an after-dinner treat (about 20 seconds on high). Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Yield: 15 muffins (approximately)

Ingredients

1 ½ cups flour
1 cup granulated sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ cup applesauce
1 cup canned pumpkin or squash (not pumpkin pie filling, just plain pumpkin – check the ingredient list, it should only say “pumpkin”!)
2 eggs
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a small bowl, combine the chocolate chips and one tablespoon of the flour.

In a medium bowl, sift together the remaining flour through the salt and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the applesauce, pumpkin, and eggs until well blended. Slowly mix in the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until well combined, being careful not to over-mix. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Bake according to the following times (it is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out crumbly):

Muffins, lined with cupcake liners, ¾ full: 17-20 minutes

1 loaf pan (pumpkin bread): 45-50 minutes

Yum! :o)

Source: Carol Garmin

Homemade Marshmallows

Yep, I went there. I made homemade marshmallows. Our class was hosting a bake sale for an upcoming field trip and I thought it was a great opportunity to try these out - they were a hit! I am not a huge fan of storebought marshmallows (they are so powdery and plastic-y tasting) but these were soooo fluffy and delicious. My mind is spinning with ideas for the marshmallow batter - fluff and PB sandwiches, moonpies, mini marshmallows, Rice Krispies treats... oh man. I kept these simple with toasted coconut, but you could certainly just make them plain instead. If you have a stand mixer, you have to try these... yum!

Homemade Marshmallows

Makes 1  13"x9" pan

Ingredients

2 cups toasted coconut (toast in a dry pan until golden)

1 cup cold water (divided)

3 packages unflavored gelatin

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup cold water.  Allow to sit while you make the syrup.

Prepare a 13x9 baking dish by spraying with no-stick spray and then sprinkling with 1 cup of the toasted coconut. *

In a small saucepan, heat the remaining 1/2 cup water, sugar, salt, and corn syrup over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, then raise the heat to medium high and cook until a candy thermometer reads 240 degrees F.

With the whisk attachment on, slowly (and carefully) pour the hot syrup into the gelatin on low speed. Increase the speed to high and whip for 15 minutes. Add the vanilla and whip to combine. 

Pour the marshmallow mix in the prepared pan. Using wet fingers, smooth the top of the marshmallow and then sprinkle with the remaining coconut. Allow to sit uncovered overnight to set.

The next day, cut the marshmallows into one inch squares and dust the sticky edges with confectioner's sugar. Enjoy!

* If you want plain marshmallows, mix 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar with 1/4 cornstarch. Spray the bottom of a 13x9 pan with no-stick spray and sprinkle with a layer of the cornstarch/sugar mix. Proceed with the remaining steps, omitting the coconut.

Adapted from Ina Garten and Alton Brown

Blueberry Pie

After our visit to Maine last weekend, Andy developed a strong craving for blueberry pie. We were able to pick up two large containers of fresh Maine blueberries so I could tackle the pie-making at home. I'll admit, pies are not one of my favorite things to make because I like to taste food and adjust as I go, but with a pie once it's in, that's it! Luckily, this pie came out perfect. I used a little less sugar than normal because the blueberries were super sweet, but it all depends on your fruit so adjust the sugar as necessary. Enjoy!

Blueberry Pie

Yield: 1 10-inch pie

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed and dried

1/2 cup white sugar

5 tbsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. lemon zest

1 tbsp. lemon juice

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 10-inch pie crusts, homemade or store-bought

1 egg, beaten

1 tbsp. white sugar

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a 10-inch pie plate with one crust and pinch edges to seal.

In a medium bowl, mix together blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, zest, juice, salt, and cinnamon. Pour into prepared pie crust. Cut the other pie crust into 3/4 inch strips and lattice the top. Pinch edges well to seal. Brush the exposed crust and lattice of the pie with the beaten egg, then sprinkle lightly with sugar.

Put pie on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven until crust is lightly browned. Adjust heat as necessary to prevent crust from getting too dark. Allow pie to cool completely before serving, otherwise you will have a runny mess! Serve with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or just as is! Yum! :o)

Mascarpone Cream Stuffed Strawberries

While searching for some delicious bite-sized treats for a friend's baby shower at work, I stumbled across a great idea - strawberries and cream with a twist... the whipped cream is inside of the strawberries! No dipping required. To make these ahead of time, I knew the whipped cream wouldn't stand up on it's own without getting runny. My solution was to add some mascarpone cheese to the filling which would keep it thick without changing the delicious flavor in a bad way. The result was a success! Give these a try, they are delicious! :o)

Strawberries Filled with Mascarpone Cream

Makes approximately 2 dozen

Ingredients

2 lb. fresh strawberries

1/2 cup Mascarpone cheese, cold

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, cold

1 tbsp powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

Make the filling: using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat together the cream and mascarpone until thick. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat to combine. Mixture should be thick like whipped cream.

Assemble the strawberries: Cut the green tops off of the strawberries so they stand up straight. Starting at the tip of the strawberry, cut an X going 3/4 of the way to the bottom (don't cut all the way through). Using a piping bag with a medium star tip (or a baggie with the corner cut off) fill each strawberry with the filling. 

It's as easy as that! Enjoy!

Soft Ginger"snap" Cookies

I recently won a wonderful prize from a cooking competition this weekend! The prize? A new set of St. Patrick's Day dishtowels. The competition? The second annual Cookie Swap amongst friends. The details? These delicious ginger cookies won me second place! I lost by one point to a delicious peanut butter and chocolate cookie which is a classic, irresistible combination (congrats, Melissa!). I was also surprised to have one of the only cookies without chocolate in them, which as you probably know is very unlike me as I am addicted to all things chocolate. At any rate, this is the delicious recipe from the cookie swap. Enjoy!

Soft Ginger"snap" Cookies

Yield: 3 dozen

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups butter, softened (no substitutes)
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Additional sugar for coating

Vanilla glaze, recipe follows

In a medium bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt and nutmeg. Set aside. In another bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the molasses and mix well. Gradually mix in the flour mixture just until combined. Refrigerate dough for at least one hour or until firm enough to handle.

Preheat oven to 350. Make 1 inch balls of the dough and roll smooth. Toss in additional sugar to coat. Place 2-3 inches apart on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 8-12 minutes or until puffy and slightly browned. Allow to cool for one minute on the cookie sheets before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Glaze as desired. Once glaze has hardened, store cookies in an airtight container. Yum!

Vanilla Glaze
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

 In a small bowl mix together sugar and milk until smooth. Add corn syrup and vanilla. If too thick, add more corn syrup. Drizzle over cookies and allow to harden.

Amaretto Cheesecake

I love cheesecake and I love Amaretto... what's better than a dessert that marries them together?! This delicious cheesecake is the perfect dessert for holidays and special occasions, or anytime you have a craving for something sweet and delicious! Oh, and it's super easy, too. :o)

For the crust:
8 oz. graham crackers, finely crushed (2 cups of crumbs)
3 tbsp. granulated sugar
7 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:
3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
8 oz. mascarpone, at room temperature
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
Table salt
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 tbsp. amaretto
1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature

Whipped cream
Crushed amaretti cookies, for garnish

Make the crust:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F. In a medium bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Mix in the melted butter until the crumbs are evenly moist and clump together slightly. Transfer the mixture to a 9-inch springform pan and press evenly onto the bottom and about 2 inches up the sides of the pan (to press, use plastic wrap or a flat-bottom measuring cup). Bake until the crust is fragrant and slightly darkened, 9 to 12 minutes. Let the pan cool completely on a rack. Lower the oven temperature to 300°F.

Fill and bake the cheesecake:

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, mascarpone, flour, and a pinch of table salt on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl and the paddle frequently, until very smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Make sure the cheese has no lumps. Add the 1-1/4 cups granulated sugar and continue beating until well blended and smooth.

Add the amaretto and vanilla, and beat until blended, about 30 seconds. Add the eggs one at a time, beating just until blended. (Don’t overbeat once the eggs have been added or the cheesecake will puff too much and crack as it cools.) Pour the filling into the cooled crust and smooth the top.

Bake at 300°F until the center jiggles like Jell-O when nudged, 55 to 65 minutes. The cake will be slightly puffed around the edges, and the center will still look moist. Set on a rack and cool completely. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 8 hours and up to 3 days. The cake can also be frozen at this point for up to 1 month (see make-ahead tip, below).

Unclasp and remove the side of the springform pan and run a long, thin metal spatula under the bottom crust of the cheesecake. Carefully slide the cake onto a flat serving plate. Garnish with whipped cream and crushed amaretti and serve immediately. To cut, run a thin knife under hot water, wipe it dry, and cut the cake into slices, heating and wiping the knife after every slice.

Make Ahead Tip

To freeze, put the unmolded, cooled cake on a rimmed baking sheet in the freezer, uncovered, until the top is cold and firm; then wrap it in two layers of plastic and one layer of foil. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

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!