A stack of soft and crunchy cookie sarnies oozing with salted caramel and topped with pretzels? You’re definitely going to be in Santa’s good books this year, especially if you leave these out by the fireplace with a glass of Negroni Sbagliato with Prosecco in it. Oh, stunning!
Get the recipe below courtesy of Cupcake Jemma and the Crumbs & Doilies team, and prepare for your Christmas Eve baking session to be a sweet sando triumph. And hey, if Santa just so happens to get, ahem, stuck in traffic, that’s none of your business…
SERVES 6
PREP:
30 HRS
COOK:
1 HR
MEDIUM
INGREDIENTS
Ingredients
FOR THE SALTED CARAMEL FILLINGS
- 1 x batch of Salted Caramel (page 42)
- 100g unsalted butter, softened
- 160g icing sugar, sifted
FOR THE CRACKLE COOKIES
- 125g unsalted butter, softened
- 300g soft light brown sugar 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract 150g plain flour 50g cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- A pinch of sea salt
- 225g dark chocolate chips (70% cocoa solids), melted and cooled slightly
- 3 tbsp milk
- 100g crunchy pretzels
TO FINISH
- 1 x batch of Dark Chocolate Ganache
Chocolate Crackle Cookies were already a huge hit in the shop, but the first time we took two and sandwiched them together with salted caramel buttercream, chocolate ganache and oozing caramel, we knew we could never go back! If you’re pushed for time, the cookies are great on their own but if you want to do like we do, you’ll throw everything at them, including smashed pretzels for added crunch.
FOR THE SALTED CARAMEL FILLINGS
Make the Salted Caramel as directed on page 42 and allow to cool.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a medium mixing bowl, beat the butter on a high speed for 5 minutes until it has turned very pale and whippy. Add the icing sugar in two stages, beating for 3–5 minutes after each addition. Add 3 tablespoons of the salted caramel, adding more to taste, and beat it into the buttercream for 3 minutes. Taste and add extra salt if you feel it needs it.
Cover the remaining salted caramel and pop it back in the fridge. Cover the buttercream and leave it at room temperature for later.
FOR THE CRACKLE COOKIES
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then mix in the vanilla.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt, then add to the wet ingredients and fold through. Fold in the cooled, melted chocolate and finally the milk until all the ingredients are well combined and you have a fairly wet dough. Cover the bowl and pop it into the fridge for about 1 hour.
Preheat your oven to 190°C (170°C fan) and line 2 baking sheets with greaseproof paper.
Measure out 25g nuggets of dough and roll them into balls, placing them 10cm/4in apart on the baking sheets to allow for spreading. Place a pretzel on top of each of the balls, pressing them down slightly. Bake for 12 minutes, then remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.
Meanwhile, make your Dark Chocolate Ganache as directed on page 52, so that it has time to set to a spreadable consistency.
For more baking inspo and a 10/10 gift idea, pick up a copy of the first ever recipe book from Jemma and the C&D team here, featuring over 90 recipes as well as a whole host of tips and tricks they’ve learned from their years of serving unique sweet treats, made from the finest ingredients, baked fresh to order.
