Caramel Choc Chip Cookies

It’s official. I have worked out how to make thick soft cookies, just like I like them. The answer was there all along, on just about every cookie blog I read, but I only just opened my eyes to it now. The trick is not always in the mixture, although a good stiff cookie dough helps. It is in the traying up of the cookies. I have round, spherical measuring cups (but you could use an ice cream scoop) and I used the 1/4 cup to scoop out my mixture and place on my lined baking tray. This left me with high round mounds of cookie dough on my trays and that right there is the secret! Leave space in between each cookie to allow for expanding and spreading and take out of the oven just as they start to brown and you will have the perfect cookie. Thick and soft!

Well I know I have made several cookie recipes on this blog so far but I made this one on a whim because I found Caramel Choc Chips. What the? I am still coming to terms with it and trying to decide if they are milk chocolate with caramel flavouring, white chocolate with caramel flavouring or something completely different all together. Either way they were pretty tasty, not out of this world amazing, but still good.

They are a Nestle product and they can be found in the baking aisle at your supermarket. They have been out for a while but this week they were on special so I had to give them a go. These cookies are super dooper easy to make and as i’ve mentioned already, they are pretty perfect.

Caramel Choc Chip Cookies

Adapted from the recipe on the back of the Caramel Choc Chip packet :)

What you will need

125g butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1 3/4 cups self raising flour
1 packet Caramel Choc Chips

What you will need to do

Preheat oven to 200*C and line two baking trays with baking paper. In a bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, salt and egg and continue to beat. Mix in flour until just combined then add the choc chips and mix until all combined.

Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup or an ice cream scoop (or anything similar you may have), scoop out mounds of dough and place them on the baking trays a good 5cm apart. Place trays in oven and turn heat down to 180*C. bake for 10- 15 minutes or until just starting to brown on edges. Remove from oven and cool on trays. Once cool enough to touch, slide onto a wire rack for further cooling.

Chocolate Sugar Cookies with Cappuccino Filling

Christmas is sooooo close and I am super excited!! I've been baking like a mad woman and still have plenty more to make. A lot of the cooking won't make it to christmas, I'm a believer in celebrating Christmas all month or else Christmas day comes and goes way too quickly. So luckily with this yummy recipe I made the dough and put half in the freezer so I can whip some up the day before I head home for Christmas, clever me :) 

These are the most delicious sugar cookies I have ever tasted (well done Sweetapolita!). I put my own twist on them by filling them with a cappuccino flavoured icing which just made them amazing. They set really hard in the fridge so it is best to serve them at room temperature when the filling has softened a bit.

Chocolate Sugar Cookies with Cappuccino Filling

Recipe adapted from Sweetapolita

What you will need

6 cups plain flour
1 1/4 cups cocoa
1 tsp salt
454g butter, softened
2 cups caster sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla essence

For Cappuccino Filling
2 cups icing sugar
2 tbsp butter, softened
2 tbsp cappuccino liqueur

What you will need to do 

Place butter and sugars in a bowl and beat until light and creamy. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add vanilla essence. Sift in flour, cocoa and salt and mix slowly until combined. Blend until mixture is even and smooth.

Divide mixture into two and place one half on a lightly floured surface. Shape into a disc, wrap in glad wrap and place in the fridge. Repeat with the second half of mixture. Leave in fridge for an hour or so until mixture has firmed up.

Preheat oven to 160*C. Line two baking trays with baking paper and set aside. Take mixture out of fridge, unwrap and place on a floured surface. Using a rolling pin roll dough out to a thickness of about 10 mm. Using a cookie cutter (what ever shape you like) cut out cookies and place them on the lined baking trays. You may need to use a knife or small spatula to lift cookies off bench. To cut holes in the middle of the cookies use a large end of a piping tip (Only cut holes in half of the cookies). It is best to do this once they are already on the tray so they keep their shape better. Cook cookies in oven for about 15 minutes or until they start to crisp up on edges. Take out of oven and leave on trays for a few minutes then transfer to wire rack.

To make the filling, place icing sugar and butter in a bowl and mix on low speed until combined. Add the cappuccino liqueur and beat on high until creamy texture. If mixture is too thick, add more liqueur, if it is too runny add more icing sugar. Place filling into a piping bag and pipe filling onto the biscuits without holes. Sandwich together the biscuits with filling with the biscuits without filling. Store in refrigerator, serve at room temperature.