Salted-Caramel Almond Cookies

Salted-Caramel Almond Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons of flour
• ½ teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 stick of butter (softened)
• ½ cup of castor sugar
• ½ cup of brown sugar
• 1 egg
• ¼ tsp of salt
• 1½ heaping tsp of good quality vanilla (don’t skimp)
• Ben’s Special Salted-Caramel
• Slivered almonds as desired (I like to use a lot, as it adds extra crunch to the cookie)

For Ben’s Special Salted-Caramel:

• 1 heaping packed-cup of brown sugar
• ½ cup of milk (whole, 2%, even lactose-free milk can be used, it doesn't really matter so long as it came from a cow)
• ½ stick of butter
• ½ Tbsp of salt
• 1¼  heaping Tbsp of good quality vanilla (don’t skimp)
• 1½ tsp unsweetened coco powder

Directions:

Prep Work:

1. Preheat oven to 375^o.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.  Spray said parchment paper with non-stick baking spray, such as Pam, as these cookies will stick to even parchment paper.
2. Pour yourself a nice refreshing beverage to keep on-hand, as things are about to get HOT.  This step is optional but highly recommended.

For Caramel:

1.      Combine the brown sugar, milk/cream/half-and-half, butter, coco powder, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat.

2.      Allow ingredients to melt together and bubble away, while stirring gently with a wooden spoon for about six and a half minutes or so.

3.      Add the vanilla.  Continue stirring for an additional minute.  (The caramel will hiss and bubble up violently when vanilla is added)

4.      Remove from heat and allow to sit.  Resist all temptations to eat said caramel.

For Cookie:

1.      Whisk together flour and baking soda

2.      In a mixer, beat butter, castor sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.

3.      Beat in the egg, salt, and vanilla.

4.      On a low speed, carefully beat in the caramel.  If it has become too firm, heat until it starts to melt again.  Don’t worry.  If you can’t get all the caramel in before it gets too firm again, just let the firmer caramel plop into the dough, and mix on a higher as it add a ribbon-effect.

5.      Fold in the almonds.

6.      At this stage the cookie dough should be about halfway between cookie dough and brownie batter in terms of consistency.  Transfer dough to cookie sheet.  Make any size desired, keeping in mind that they will spread.  A lot.  For cookies approx one inch in diameter (will spread to about three) bake for about 17 min.  Remove from oven, and allow to cool.

7.      Devour hungrily like the ravenous beast you are.

8.      Repeat

NOTE: When this recipe was first posted, there was a major typo.  It originally said that you needed 1/2 cup of baking soda.  As you could probably tell, that's WAY too much.  We're sorry if you made this and ended up with a terrible batch of cookies.