Caramel Pecan Cookies

Last week's entry for Brownie Squares yielded some interesting comments from readers. My friend Lisa said, "This looks so good I may get the apron out tonight." And my friend Myra said, "OMG! These look incredible!! :-)." I love that Myra included a smiley face with her comment.

Today I think I'll share another recipe using the same butter cookie base but adding caramel and pecans on the top. If you like sweet and gooey caramel, these cookies are TDF (to die for). I've made them every year for the past five years. I shared the recipe with my mom and she has been known to make them throughout the year.

If you have never made caramel before it's not too difficult but you do need to pay attention to what you're doing so that you don't burn yourself or your house down. Caramel is made by melting sugar, adding heavy cream, cooking until the caramel is smooth, and finally adding butter, vanilla, and salt. Be careful when adding the cream, as the melted sugar will bubble and steam vigorously. Make sure to use a 3 quart saucepan to avoid a catastrophic boil over.

Basic Butter Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 - 4 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Grease a 9 x 13 inch metal baking pan, then line with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on both ends. Then grease foil.

Press dough evenly into bottom of baking pan, using plastic wrap or wax paper on top to keep dough from sticking to your fingers. Chill until firm, about 20 minutes.

As crust chills, preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Bake crust until golden brown, about 20 - 25 minutes. Do not over bake. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack for 20 minutes. Leave oven on.

While crust cools, make the caramel topping.


Caramel Pecan Topping

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter cut into bits
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups pecans, toasted, cooled, and coarsely chopped

Make topping while crust cools:
Cook sugar in a 3 quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, undisturbed, until it begins to melt. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally with a fork, until sugar is melted to a deep golden caramel. Be careful not to burn. Tilt pan and carefully pour in cream. Sugar will harden and steam vigorously so be careful. Place back on burner and continue cooking over moderately low heat, stirring, until caramel is smooth. Increase heat as needed if caramel is not yet smooth after 2 - 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter, vanilla, salt, and pecans.

Immediately spread topping over cooled crust and bake until bubbling, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for about 2 hours.

Lift cookies out of pan by gently loosening and lifting the foil. Place on large cutting board and remove foil. Run a knife (chef's knife works well) under hot water then wipe dry. Cut into 2-inch triangles, diamonds, or squares.

Cookies keep layered in wax paper in airtight containers for up to 1 week. They also freeze well for 2 - 3 weeks.

Cookie press rating: 5 cookies (out of 5)

Matzo Brittle

I'm crazy for matzo. Since Passover started yesterday it's the perfect time to make Matzo Brittle! In fact, it's so good that I plan on making another batch to bring with me on Easter Sunday. It's easy to make and incredibly delicious.

The recipe calls for fleur de sel, a hand-harvested sea salt that is moist, yet still has a nice crunch. I found it at Whole Foods and was able to buy a small amount. It's a good thing because it was priced at $19.99 per pound. Worth searching for, fleur de sel gives the brittle a distinct flavor unlike regular table salt.



Matzo Brittle

4 sheets of unsalted matzo (1/2 box)
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into large pieces
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons fleur de sel
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I used a whole bag)
1 cup toasted, sliced almonds or toasted pecans coarsely chopped

Heat oven to 350 degrees and arrange rack to middle position.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with two overlapping pieces of aluminum foil and wrap edges over the sides. Arrange matzo in a single layer, breaking pieces as needed to fill empty spaces. Set aside.

Place butter, brown sugar, and 3/4 teaspoon fleur de sel in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir with a rubber spatula until the mixture comes to a boil, about 5 minutes. Continue to boil for 3 minutes more. Remove from heat, add vanilla. Pour slowly as the hot caramel may bubble up. Stir to combine.

Pour caramel over matzo and spread it evenly using a rubber spatula. Place baking sheet in the oven and bake matzo until small bubbles cover the surface and caramel is fragrant, about 10 minutes. Do not let caramel burn. Check after 8 minutes to be sure it doesn't!

Remove from oven, sprinkle with chocolate chips and set aside until chips are softened, about 5 minutes.

Spread chocolate evenly over the caramel using a rubber spatula. Sprinkle with nuts and remaining 3/4 teaspoon fleur de sel. (I used a bit more, and spread it evenly across the entire sheet by rubbing it gently between my palms).

Refrigerate the brittle until cool, about 15 minutes. Break into pieces and serve.

Note: I had trouble with the brittle sticking to the foil because the caramel seeped under the matzo. I popped the pan in the freezer for 1/2 hour and then I was able to easily peel off the foil from the back of the frozen brittle. I put the brittle on a large cutting board and cut the sheet into squares using a chef's knife.

Warning: This stuff is addictive. It's sweet, salty, and crunchy in every single bite.