The style of these is slightly different from my usual cookie method. They are designed to allow the caramelised white chocolate to shine without too many other elements. Once the dough is made, it’s rolled into a cylinder, then sliced and baked in a muffin tray, so be sure to lift them out gently before they cool completely.
Caramelised white chocolate cookies
Prep 5 min
Cook 1 hr 20 min
Chill 2 hr+
Makes 12
80g white chocolate
115g softened room-temperature unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
100g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
80g golden caster sugar
A pinch of flaky sea salt
20g ground almonds
20g roasted almonds, skin on, chopped
First, caramelise the white chocolate – and don’t try to rush this process. Heat the oven to 130C (110C fan)/250F/gas ¾ – the temperature needs to be low and consistent. Break the chocolate into small chunks, put them in a clean, ovenproof tray and put in the oven. Now, keep a close eye on the chocolate, and take it out of the oven every 10-15 minutes and give it a stir with a spatula – this frequent stirring will stop the chocolate burning and ensure an even caramelisation. Repeat until the chocolate has turned golden brown, which will take anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour.
Once the white chocolate has reached the desired colour, take the tray out of the oven and leave to cool completely (if you are in a bit of a rush, spread the chocolate on a sheet of greaseproof paper and chill in the fridge to set.) Once cooled and set, break or roughly chop the caramelised white chocolate into small chunks.
Now to make the cookies. Liberally grease a 12-hole muffin tin with softened butter, then dust the tin with flour and put it in the fridge until the butter has set.
In a bowl, cream the butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Stir in the ground almonds, then gradually mix in the plain flour until the mixture comes together into a dough. Fold the chopped roast almonds and caramelised white chocolate chunks into the cookie dough, until they’re evenly distributed, then tip the dough on to a sheet of greaseproof paper. Roll it up into a roughly 16-18cm-long cylinder, then chill in the fridge for two to three hours, until firm.
Slice the cylinder into 12 equal discs, and put one piece into each hole of the muffin tin.
Heat the oven to 195C (175C fan)/385F/gas 5¾. Bake the cookies for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown around the edges. Remove from the oven, leave the cookies to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then carefully lift them all out and serve.
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