My love for caramel was late and stubborn and, without a doubt, due to these years of intense home baking (and not only). I must say that our relationship was not only late but also stormy, I can’t tell you how many caramels I burned and how many pots I finished. But it doesn’t matter: caramel and I have finally signed an armistice and this year I had decided that among the Christmas biscuits there should be one just with caramel! Chef Montersino docet: his recipe is truly excellent.
Here you can find the instructions to proceed step by step (especially in the part with the caramel and the cream, the most delicate moment).
Ingredients (about 40 biscuits)
- 90 g of raw cane sugar (if you want them darker choose demerara)
- 25 g of fresh cream
- 175 g of butter (cut into cubes)
- 25 g of raw brown muscovado sugar
- 275 g of 00 flour
- Brown sugar coating to taste
- a pinch of licorice powder (if you like).
Caramel Cream
First prepare the “dry” caramel. Pour a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar into a hot pan, caramelize over low heat and, when the sugar has melted, add another two tablespoons and caramelize well, and so on until you get a clear and uniform caramel.
Be careful to keep the heat low and not to overcook the caramel, otherwise you risk it taking on a burnt aftertaste. In the meantime, heat the cream well, bringing it “almost” to the boil. Gently add the hot cream “drizzle” into the caramel (in technical jargon this is called de-cooking the sugar), being very careful and stirring delicately because the sugar tends to form large bubbles. Remove the pan from the heat and begin adding the butter, cut into small cubes, a little at a time, stirring well.
You will obtain a uniform cream before adding the remaining butter (this will prevent the mixture from separating into two phases). Mix continuously with a whisk until you obtain a smooth and greasy cream and let it cool.
Dough
In a large bowl or in a stand mixer, sift the flour and add the Muscovado sugar and mix (if you like, also add a pinch of powdered licorice). Finally, add the caramel cream and mix until you obtain a well-blended mixture.
Let it rest in the fridge for 3-4 hours. Take the pastry and break it in two, work it briefly and form cylinders with a diameter of about 3-4 cm that you will roll on the brown sugar to make it stick to the surface.
Let the cylinders rest in the fridge for another 30 minutes and cut out slices of about 1-1.5 cm thick with a sharp knife. Bake at 180°C for 12-14 minutes until they are just golden brown.
And voilà, they are very cute, and delicoous (they remind, for those who love them, of Lotus biscuits). So what are you waiting for?
