Caramel-stuffed chocolate snickerdoodles
The slow return to regular programming
I know we’ve already blown past January’s halfway point, but this past week has felt like the true start of the year for me. We spent the holidays (nearly a month!) in Seattle, catching up with my side of the family. A few gently-paced weeks of puzzles, early morning mall walks, family meals, holiday movies, and unplanned days was honestly the best way to slip into 2024.
We’re back in to winter in Toronto now, and I’m eager to put the recipe ideas jostling around my mind through the paces.
But first, cookies.
This is a chocolatey twist on a popular blog recipe I’ve been making for years, my small batch brown butter snickerdoodles with sourdough discard. While the base cookie on its own is very tasty, a surprise caramel center truly takes them up a notch.
Caramel-Stuffed Chocolate Snickerdoodles
Makes 10 cookies
Ingredients:
115g unsalted butter, cubed and cold
25g coffee, cold (can replace with milk or water)
110g all-purpose flour
30g dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp baking soda
2g (1/2 tsp) kosher salt (I use Diamond Crystal; use a scant 1/2 tsp for other brands or 1/4 tsp table salt)
1/2 tsp espresso powder
100g granulated sugar
30g light brown sugar
1 large egg yolk, cold
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
60g 100% hydration sourdough discard, preferably cold from the fridge1
To finish:
10 soft/chewy caramel candies, ~8-10g each (I used homemade)
25g granulated sugar
Flaky salt
Method:
Brown the butter: Place the cubed butter in a small, light-colored saucepan over medium-low heat. Once the butter has melted, turn the heat up to medium-high. Stir frequently with a heatproof spatula, scraping the sides and bottom of the pan as needed. The butter will crackle, foam, turn clear gold, then finally start browning. It’s done when the crackling subsides and you smell toasted nuts. This process takes about 7-10 minutes total, but the butter can go from browned to burnt in a flash—so keep an eye on it. Pour the butter and all the toasty bits into a medium bowl. (You should have ~92g brown butter.) Stir in the coffee and let cool for 10-15 minutes.
Combine the dry ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder. Whisk for a good 30-45 seconds to ensure the leaveners are evenly distributed.
Combine the wet ingredients: Whisk the sugars into the butter-coffee mixture until combined. Whisk in the egg yolk and vanilla until smooth. Add the sourdough discard and whisk until totally smooth.
Add the dry ingredients and chill the dough: Add the dry ingredients to the wet and use a flexible spatula to mix just until no streaks of flour remain. Cover and refrigerate for about 30-45 minutes, or until the dough is cool but still scoopable (it will be fairly soft). Meanwhile, unwrap the caramels and roll each into a ~3/4” square/blob. Place all the caramels on a parchment-lined tray or plate and freeze while the dough chills.
Preheat the oven, prepare pans, and prep finishings: While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 375F with a rack in the middle. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Prepare the sugar coating by placing the granulated sugar in a medium bowl.
Portion and stuff the dough: Portion the cookie dough into 10 equal golf-sized balls, about 47 grams each. Roll between hands into a smooth ball, then use your thumb to make an indent for the caramel blob. Place a piece of caramel in the indent, then pinch the dough closed to completely encase the caramel (important! The caramel must be completely enclosed or it may leak out). Repeat for the remaining cookies. Once all the cookies are stuffed, toss each in the granulated sugar, turning to coat completely. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart, five per tray. Sprinkle tops with flaky salt.
Bake the cookies: Bake sheets one at a time for about 9-11 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Cookies should be puffed and the tops starting to crack, but the centers should still look a little soft. After removing the pan, bang it a couple of times on the counter to help deflate the cookies and get that classic crinkled top. Let cookies cool completely on the pan, placed atop a wire rack. Resist the urge to eat these cookies warm — the caramel will be gooey and liquid. Cookies are best the day they’re made; store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Don’t have sourdough discard? Use a whole egg and increase the all purpose flour to 140g.