Dear Reader,
My husband and I can't gather around the table with our grandkids right now, so every weekend we all gather around their front porch instead. Baking a dessert for the grandkids and delivering it to them every weekend has kept us in touch. I know it's something they look forward to now, because last week when I called my daughter-in-law to let her know we would be stopping by with a chocolate cake and M&M cookies, she said, "Oh what perfect timing for you to call, because Hadley [8 years old], was just asking me when are Grandma and Grandpa bringing dessert?"
In addition to baking pumpkin bread for the kids last weekend, thanks to the folks at Ghirardelli I made a new cookie recipe I found at their website, Caramel Squares Sugar Cookies with Chocolate Drizzle. I don't like to bake something new and give it to someone unless I've tried it first, so I made a batch of cookies and had my husband taste them. After one bite he said, "It's overpowering and sweet, too rich for me, but I'm sure the grandkids will love them." Two seconds after my husband finished his cookie review, he picked up the sample cookie and devoured it!
Yes, the recipe is a winner at our house.
CARAMEL SQUARES SUGAR COOKIES WITH CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE
16 cookies
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 ts baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
1 T milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
16 Ghirardelli Milk & Caramel SQUARES Chocolate
1/4 cup Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Chips
1 tsp shortening
In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour with a spatula or wooden spoon.
Divide dough in half. Cover and chill for 2 hours or until dough is easy to handle.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or foil; set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll half the dough into a 9 x 8-inch square. With a pastry wheel or pizza cutter, cut into eight 4-1/2 x 2-inch rectangles. Place a Ghirardelli Milk & Caramel SQUARES Chocolate near one end of each rectangle. Bring the dough strip up and over the chocolate square, pinching dough to enclose the chocolate square. Place on prepared cookie sheets. Repeat with remaining dough and chocolate squares.
Bake for 12 minutes or until edges are firm and very lightly browned. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; cool.
Meanwhile, for the chocolate drizzle, in a small microwave-safe bowl, combine the Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Chips and shortening. Microwave on medium power (50 percent) for 1 minute. Remove and stir. If chocolate is not melted, return to microwave and repeat heating step, stirring every 30 seconds to avoid scorching. Stir until smooth.
Spoon the chocolate drizzle over cookies. Let cookies stand in the freezer or at room temperature until the drizzle is set.
Enjoy immediately, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
If you're looking for a topic for your entry in this year's Write a DearReader Contest, you might write about the story behind your family's favorite recipe. Get all the contest info, including the deadline (that's coming up soon) here.
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE PENGUIN BOOK OF ITALIAN SHORT STORIES, introduced, edited and with selected translations by Jhumpa Lahiri. I have a copy to share, start reading and enter today
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