Dessert
Vanilla Shortbread Salted Caramel Cookies
These delicate vanilla shortbread cookies are a favorite Christmas cookie recipe! Drizzle a bit of salted caramel and sprinkle of sea salt on top of each cookie for the ultimate treat. These salted caramel cookies are made with just a few simple ingredients, so you’ll be snacking on these thumbprint cookies in no time.
Equipment
INGREDIENTS
Cookies
- ⅓ c butter (softened)
- ¼ c granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ¼ tsp almond extract
- ¾ c flour
Salted Caramel
- ¼ c brown sugar
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
- 2 tbsp finishing salt (like Le Saunier de Camargue Fleur de Sel)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Beat the butter, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add the flour, and mix on low speed until combined.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Once the dough is firm, shape it into 1" balls. Place the cookie dough balls on a cookie sheet, and use a small spoon to create a well in the center of each cookie. I use a 1/2 tsp measuring spoon for this step.
- Bake the cookies for about 10-12 minutes, until the bottoms of the cookies begin to brown. You may need to take a spoon and deepen the wells in the cookies, since they may have flattened a bit (do this while they're still warm). Cool the cookies completely.
- While the cookies cool, make your caramel by melting the butter and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once it reaches a boil, continue to cook the caramel for 1 minute, stirring constantly. If you have a candy thermometer, I let my caramel reach about 230 F.
- Remove the caramel from heat and stir in the heavy whipping cream. Allow the caramel to cool to room temperature.
- Drizzle the caramel into each cookie and sprinkle the tops generously with finishing salt.