Reading*Crafting*Baking: Cookie Experiment #3: Chocolate Caramel Cookie Cups

McDonalds has this limited release McFlurry out there right now made with Rolos. I've heard several people go on and on about how good it was and it got me thinking about what I could make with Rolos. My first thought was brownies, but I wanted more of a challenge. Don't get me wrong, I'm still thinking about those brownies...I'm thinking chocolate with a layer of mini Rolos in the middle and caramel on top.

Yeah, those will eventually get made.

Any way, I was driving back to work one night and I had a cookie brainstorm. If they turned out right, they would be more Twix-like than Rolo-like, but I had to make them.

These cookies, the Chocolate Caramel Cookie Cups, are a base of shortbread cookies filled with caramel and topped with whipped, dark chocolate ganache.

Only a handful of ingredients are needed. Sugar, flour, vanilla, butter, heavy whipping cream, and dark chocolate. Seriously, that is all you need to make these cookies.

I love shortbread cookies. They are so easy to make and so delicious.

Cream 2 cups of butter and 1 cup of sugar.

Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla and 4 cups of all-purpose flour. I used a a mini muffin pan and a heaping 1/2 Tablespoon of dough.

I balled up the dough and then used the back of the 1/2 Tablespoon to press the dough into the cup.

I baked the cookies for about 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees until they came out golden brown.

While the cookies were baking, I made the ganache. I've made ganache many times in the past and is super easy to make. I heated up 1 cup of heavy whipping cream to simmering and then poured it over 7 oz of dark chocolate.

After letting it sit for a minute, I mixed the chocolate and cream until it was all melted and combined. I covered it in plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming and let it come to room temperature before putting it into the fridge. Once it was cool, I put it in the stand mixer and whipped it up.

I also made caramel just as I had when I made Dark Chocolate Caramel Thumbprint Cookies.
I played around with it a bit because I wanted the caramel to be a thicker, so after making it, I put it back in a heavy pan over low heat, stirring it and adding sugar a Tablespoon at a time until it was the thickness I wanted.

When the cookies were done and cooled, the caramel was the correct thickness, and the ganache whipped and put in a piping bag, it was time to assemble.