Salted caramel stuffed chocolate chip cookies

Deb of Smitten Kitchen was right when she said there’s nothing new to add to the chocolate chip cookie conversation. But you can take egg whites away and be left with a cookie that is crispier and richer than one made with a whole egg. There’s nothing new about this phenomenon either, so I haven’t made Deb’s argument redundant. But consider a cookie made only with the yolks of an egg, that has then been stuffed with a square of salted caramel – I’m going to ramp up the cringe factor now and say that it really is a winning combination, like a lamb curry simmered down with plums.

The cookie is gooey and salty, with a richness coming from the dough itself rather than the chocolate alone. I feel like blogging about cookies is important because I always opt for a cookie (it’s a cheap add on to whatever else I’m buying) when I’m visiting a good bakery and I’m consistently disappointed because they’re usually stale. Cookies can’t survive the open air, which means having an on-going stash of these things in your freezer is a logical necessity, unless you suffer from a lack of sweet tooth…

Salted caramel stuffed chocolate chip cookies

Makes 16-18 cookies

Ingredients

• 240g plain flour
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ½ tsp fine salt
• 170g unsalted butter
• 150g light brown sugar
• 100g caster sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 2 egg yolks, large
• 150g dark chocolate chips
• 16-18 salted caramel squares or toffees – I used my recipe for lavender caramels on Food52,  omit the lavender and add a generous teaspoon of salt instead

Note: after you’ve stuffed and rolled the cookies, you can freeze some or all of them in a freezer bag for up to two months.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160 C and line two or three large trays with baking parchment. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda. Beat the butter, both sugars and vanilla until creamed but not light and fluffy, then add the egg yolks and beat again. Stir in the dry ingredients until just mixed, then fold through the chocolate chips or mix them together on the lowest setting of the mixer. If you have the time, at this point you can refrigerate the dough for up to 24 hours to develop the flavours
2. Roll the dough into half sized balls that are approximately 25g each and then lightly flatten them. Place a caramel in the centre and top with another flattened ball. Seal the sides then place the cookies on the lined trays at least two inches apart. Refrigerate for 20 minutes and bake for 12 to 14 minutes. Let them cool slightly on the trays before transferring to a rack to cool completely. These are best eaten the day they are baked.

Love Em xx