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Spiced Caramel Christmas Cookies | DonalSkehan.com
  • christmas

Spiced Caramel Christmas Cookies

December 06

Santa would be very happy if he got these served up with a glass of milk on Christmas eve, so would everyone else too I think.

  • serves Serves
  • time 60mins + chilling

Method

  1. 1. Beat the butter and sugar together in a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer) until light and fluffy.
  2. 2. In a separate bowl, sift the flour and cocoa together with a pinch of salt.
  3. 3. Add half of the flour & cocoa mixture into the butter/sugar mix and combine before adding the remaining. Adding it in two batches ensures the flour doesn’t explode all over the kitchen.
  4. 4. Add the milk and vanilla extract, mixing continuously. The mixture will look pretty crumbly at this point - keep mixing until it has come together, this should take a further 1-2 minutes.
  5. 5. Tip the dough out onto a worktop, divide into two and using your hands, flatten each piece into a disc. Wrap with cling film and leave in the fridge to chill for half an hour.
  6. 6. To make the caramel filling, put the sugar, butter, golden syrup, spices and salt into a small pan over a low heat. Allow to melt and combine before increasing the temperature and bubbling for 3-4 minutes.
  7. 7. Stir in the cream (be careful as it might splutter a bit) and then cook for a few minutes more, stirring till it's smooth and luscious.
  8. 8. Remove the star anise and cinnamon and pour the caramel into a bowl. Leave to cool until the sauce is thick and spreadable.
  9. 9. Once the cookie dough has chilled, line 2 large baking sheets with baking parchment. Roll out one of the dough discs, between two additional pieces of baking parchment, until it is about 4-5mm thick.
  10. 10. Cut out rounds with a fluted 6.5cm cutter, ensuring you re-roll the trimmings to use up all of the dough, and place on one of the trays. You will get 12-16 biscuits.
  11. 11. Using a small star cutter, cut out the centre of each of the biscuits (you can keep the stars and bake these too). Chill in the fridge whilst you repeat the process with the second disc of dough, this time without the star cutouts.
  12. 12. Chill all of the dough cut outs in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
  13. 13. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Once heated, bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. Leave on the trays to set for 5 minutes after baking before carefully transfering to a wire rack with a spatula, allowing to cool completely.
  14. 14. Once cooled, dust the cookies with icing sugar.
  15. 15. Using a spoon, spread some of the caramel sauce into the centre of each of the flat biscuits, top each with a star biscuit and press lightly together.

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Ingredients

9oz unsalted butter, softened

5oz caster sugar

10.5oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting

2.5oz cocoa powder

1 tbsp cold milk or water

1 tsp vanilla extract

Icing sugar, to dust

 

For the caramel filling:

3.5oz soft light brown sugar

1/2 stick unsalted butter

2 tbsp golden syrup

1 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

2.5fl oz double cream

Pinch of salt

250g unsalted butter, softened

150g caster sugar

300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

75g cocoa powder

1 tbsp cold milk or water

1 tsp vanilla extract

Icing sugar, to dust

 

For the caramel filling:

100g soft light brown sugar

50g unsalted butter

2 tbsp golden syrup

1 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

75ml double cream

Pinch of salt