Salted Caramel & Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose Gold Medal flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup unsalted butter, sliced
1 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt
1 cup caramel squares, cut into 1/4's

For Rolling the Cookies:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Sea salt, for sprinkling on top of cookies

In a medium bowl, Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

To brown the butter, heat a thick-bottomed skillet on medium heat. Add the sliced butter, whisking frequently. Continue to cook the butter until melted. The butter will start to foam and browned specks will begin to form at the bottom of the pan. The butter should have a nutty aroma. Watch the butter carefully because it can go from brown to burnt quickly. Remove butter from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the brown butter and sugars. Mix until blended and smooth. Beat in the egg, yolk, vanilla, and yogurt and mix until combined. Slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

 Form the dough in a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. You can chill the dough overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Measure about 2 tablespoons of dough and roll into balls. Flatten the ball with the palm of your hand and place a piece of caramel in the center of the dough. Wrap the cookie dough around the caramel, making sure the caramel is completely covered with dough.

 In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar. Roll the balls in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place dough balls on a large baking sheet that has been lined with a baking mat or parchment paper. Make sure the cookies are about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle the cookie tops with sea salt.

Bake the cookies 8-10 minutes or until the edges of the cookies begin to turn golden brown. The centers will still be soft. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes, or until set. Transfer cookies to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.

(Recipe taken from Two Peas and Their Pod)

Delicious!

Slow Cooker Salted Caramel Apple & Pear Butter

I had apples and pears on my counter aging by the day.  What to make, what to make?  Then I remembered this recipe.  It's so easy it's fool-proof.  I know it doesn't make any sense, but I actually had to go out and buy a couple more apples and a couple more pears to make a full pot.

Here's what you do:

Peel, core and dice up 8 apples (I used a mixture of Granny Smith, Macoun & Cortland)
Peel, core and dice up 6 pears (I used Bosc)
1 1/2 c dark brown sugar
1/2 c apple cider
2 T boiled cider (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Put all ingredients in a slow cooker and set the control to low.  Do not remove lid or stir for 12 hours.  After 12 hours, mash with a potato masher or use an immersion blender and blend until smooth.  Prop up the lid by placing the handle of a wooden spoon under it and continue to cook for another 6 hours.  Check the consistency.  If you want it thicker continue to cook up to a total of 24 hours, check every couple of hours for consistency.

Divide into jars with lids and cool completely.  Place in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.  Alternatively you use a canning method with a hot water bath.

Apple-Pear Butter is good on biscuits, english muffins, toast, pancakes or waffles or scones.  You can put it on ice cream, in granola, in place of jelly on a PBJ, or any other time you would normally use jam, jelly or applesauce.  Bake it into cookie bars, breads or bundt cakes.  There are many recipes on line.  I served mine with Glazed Bacon & Pecan Buttermilk Scones.  So so yummy!

If you are interested in my recipe for the Candied Bacon & Pecan Buttermilk Scones, this link will take you to my post.

As always, thank you for taking the time to visit!