31 Jan Caramelised White Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

With a rich buttery flavour and crisp texture, vanilla butter cookies are just perfect in their simplicity! They’re absolutely delicious as is, but can also be iced or dipped in chocolate. I’m still rather obsessed with caramelised white chocolate so I chose to use it to sandwich two cookies together for an extra indulgent treat.

As simple as these cookies are, a few little tips can really help you perfect them. Splurge a little and use real vanilla paste or extract – not only will you be able to see the little vanilla seeds in the cookies, but the authentic vanilla flavour really takes these up a notch! Don’t overwork the dough once you’ve added the liquid, or the dough will become tough. Try not use too much flour when rolling out your dough as this can make the cookies hard and dry. By rolling the dough out between two sheets of greaseproof paper and refrigerating when it gets a little sticky, you can keep the added flour to a minimum.

Caramelised white chocolate takes a little time to make, but trust me, it’s so worth it! Dedicate a good 40 minutes to sitting close to your oven, as the more frequently you stir the chocolate, the creamier the result. Don’t fret if it starts to go crumbly – it eventually smooths out.

Ingredients:

(Makes about 30)

For the vanilla cookies:
185g cold salted butter
200g castor sugar
350g flour
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
5ml vanilla extract

For the caramelised white chocolate ganache:
250g white chocolate (min 30% cocoa solids)
2 tbsp vegetable oil eg sunflower or canola oil
pinch of salt (preferably sea salt flakes)
65ml cream (¼ cup)

Directions:

• To make the caramelised white chocolate, preheat the oven to 120°C. Line a baking tray with a silicone mat or greaseproof paper.
• Break or chop the chocolate into pieces of a similar size and spread out onto the lined baking tray. Drizzle with the vegetable oil.
• Bake for 5 minutes, then use a spatula to stir the melted chocolate around well. Spread it out evenly again and return to the oven.
• Repeat this process, stirring and spreading the chocolate every 5 minutes, until it is golden brown. This takes about 30-40 minutes. It may look like it is starting to seize and go crumbly, but will eventually become smooth and look like melted chocolate.
• Once you are happy with the colour, (the chocolate will go darker when the warm cream is added, so rather under-roast it slightly) remove the chocolate from the hot baking tray and set aside to cool completely at room temperature. It will harden.
• To make the cookies, place the butter, castor sugar and flour into a food processor. Blitz until you have a fine breadcrumb consistency. (If you don’t have a food processor, either use a pastry cutter or use your fingers to rub the flour and sugar into the butter, then add the lemon zest and salt).
• Lightly beat the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract together, then add to the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Do not overwork the dough. Divide the mixture into 2 flat discs, cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Working with 1 disc of dough, roll the dough between 2 sheets of greaseproof paper to 3mm thick. Cut out small rounds about 4-5cm in diameter. If the dough is too sticky after rolling, freeze it for 5 min then continue cutting. Carefully transfer to a baking tray and refrigerate again for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 170°C and bake the biscuits, one tray at a time, for 8-10 minutes. Watch closely and remove as soon as the cookies start to brown around the edges. Leave to cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then remove and cool completely.
• Start working with the 2nd disc of dough, repeating the process of rolling, cutting, baking and cooling.
• When the chocolate has set, warm the cream and salt until almost boiling. Pour over the roasted white chocolate and stir until completely smooth. While still warm, spread a thick layer of the ganache onto the back of a cookie and sandwich together with a second cookie.