Caramel Two Ways

Today I'm sharing two recipes using caramel. The first one is my recipe for espresso caramel sauce; It's a quick and easy recipe for all coffee lovers out there, and you know how I love my coffee, especially espresso. I like to serve this sauce on gelato, but since it's a caramel topping, it's great on almost everything...especially chocolate desserts!The second recipe is for my gluten-free Linzer cookies. In this recipe, you thicken up the caramel just a little, so it sits oh-so-delicately inside of the cookies. Give them a try over the next few weeks! There's nothing like baking to take your mind off of things, especially when the result is a sweet treat!

Espresso Caramel Sauce:

serves 6 to 8

You will need:

- 1 cup of sugar- 1 shot of espresso- 1 cup of heavy cream

To prepare:

Place sugar in a small sauce pan on medium heat.Watch the sugar carefully, with a silicone spatula brush down the sides of the pan until combined and the sugar turns a deep amber color.Pull the caramel off the heat and add the espresso while stirring until combined, it will bubble and spit this is normal. Next add cream very gradually while stirring the entire time until combined. If there are any lumps don't worry they will melt once you put it back on the heat.To Finish: Place the pan of caramel back on low heat, stirring continually until the caramel starts to slowly bubble

not boil

. This takes about 3 minutes.Pull from the heat and place into a glass or ceramic container with a spout, place in the fridge until you're ready to use.

Warning: With all hot sugar be extremely careful so as not to burn yourself. If you've ever burned yourself with hot sugar you know it's very dangerous. This is not an activity for children.

Rosemary + Salted Caramel Linzer Cookies

You will need:For the cookies:

- 1 cup hazelnut meal (or nut meal of your choice)

- 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour or substitute Cup 4 Cup

- 1/2 tsp baking powder

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 2 sticks (1 cup or 225 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

- 1/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

- 1/2 cup granulated sugar

- 1 large egg

- 1/2 tsp finely chopped rosemary (up to 1 tsp for a stronger flavor)

for the caramel filling:

- 2/3 cup granulated sugar

- 6 tbsp water- 1 tbsp unsalted butter

- 6 tbsp creme fraiche (or heavy whipping cream)

- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

- 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt, plus more for sprinkling

Preparation:

Whisk together the hazelnut flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.Combine butter and sugars in a large bowl and beat vigorously until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg and chopped rosemary, then beat again until well-blended, another 30 seconds. Finally, fold in the flour mixture until just incorporated.Divide dough into two or three balls, pat them into discs, and wrap each in plastic wrap. Chill the dough in the fridge for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.Heat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.Roll out a disc of dough to about 1/8- or 1/4-inch thick, depending on your preference. Unlike pie crusts, which I generally roll out between sheets of parchment, I found this to be easiest on a well-floured surface, sprinkling flour over the top and lifting the bottom to re-flour as needed. (The latter makes cutting and removing the cookie rounds much easier.) Cut out cookie rounds using a 2-inch cookie cutter of your choice. For half the rounds, use a smaller cookie cutter (around 3/4 inch) to cut patterned holes -- these are the windows for the cookie "lids." Save the minis to make miniature cookie sandwiches (or just to nosh!). If the dough becomes too soft as you’re using it, just pop it into the freezer for a few minutes to firm it up again.Place the "lids" and cookie holes on one baking sheet and the whole cookies on another, since the whole cookies may take a little longer to bake. Bake both sheets of cookies until golden at the edges, about 10 minutes for the bottoms and 8-9 for the lids. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Repeat with remaining dough; you can re-chill and re-roll cookie scraps as many times as needed.If powdering the lids, arrange the lids (or all the cookies, if you prefer) on a baking rack with a tray or paper underneath to catch the excess sugar. Sift powdered sugar over top as desired.While the cookies are cooling, make the caramel. Prepare a bowl of ice water and set it aside within easy reach. Combine sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Stir just until sugar dissolves, then let simmer, without stirring, until the mixture just turns golden. Remove immediately from heat and add butter (be careful, as it may sputter). Swirl until the butter is dissolved, then add the creme fraiche or heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt. Return to heat, reduce heat to low and stir until the heavy cream is fully dissolved. Drop a small spoonful of the caramel into the ice water and touch it -- if you can form it into a pliable ball, it's done.Working quickly, while the caramel is still soft, drop about a teaspoon of caramel onto each of the bottoms of the cookies, then place a lid on top and press gently to seal. Sprinkle a bit of flaky salt over top if you like. Enjoy once the caramel is cool. Cookies will keep for a week in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.

xx Annette