Almond Caramel Shortbreads Recipes

HOMEMADE ALMOND CARAMEL SHORTBREAD BITES

Steps:

• Line a 9 by 9 inch baking dish with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together. Then add flour and salt and mix until the dough comes together and forms a ball.
• Press the dough into the bottom of the baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. Remove and let cool. While the shortbread is cooking, you can start on the caramel layer.
• In a large heavy bottomed pot (I used a 3.0 quart), stir sugar, corn syrup, 1 cup of heavy cream, and salt together over high heat. You need to stir constantly with a wooden spoon until it reaches 240 degrees. Then, add 1/2 cup more cream, and bring it back to 240 degrees, stirring constantly. Add the last 1/2 cup of heavy cream, and bring it to 240 degrees.
• Pour the hot caramel over the shortbread layer, and sprinkle the almonds on top.
• Allow the caramel to fully cool and set before cutting. I find it easier cut when the caramel is slightly chilled, but not hard as a rock. I like to lift the whole thing out of the pan using the parchment paper lining and cut on a cutting board.
• Melt chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, or use a double boiler. Dip the bottom half of each square into the chocolate, using a toothpick inserted into the caramel layer to hold it as you dip. Place them on a parchment or silicone baking mat to set the chocolate.

TOASTED ALMOND AND CARAMEL MILLIONAIRES' SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3 and butter and line a 20 x 20cm tin. Mix the flour, almonds, rice flour, sugar and a pinch of salt together in a food processor. Whizz in 150g butter in batches to make a dough then tip into the tin and press down with your hands. Chill for 10 minutes then bake for 30-35 minutes until lightly golden. Cool.
• To make the caramel, tip the sugar into a frying pan and heat gently so it starts to melt. Tip the pan to make sure one side doesn't start to brown before the other. Keep heating and tipping until you have golden caramel. Add the cream carefully and then reheat to a smooth sauce. Add the butter, a pinch of salt flakes and flaked almonds and then pour the sauce (warm it again if you need to) over the shortbread. Heat the chocolates together with the remaining butter and pour this over the cooled caramel.
• When the chocolate is firm but still tacky, add some pieces of gold leaf randomly across the surface. Leave to cool but cut into pieces while the chocolate is still a little soft.

CARAMEL CHOCOLATE SHORTBREADS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving about a 2-inch overhang on 2 sides. Spread the coconut in a single layer on a baking sheet and set aside.
• Beat the butter, vanilla and salt with an electric mixer on medium speed in a large bowl until smooth and creamy. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix on low until just incorporated. Beat in the flour in 2 batches to make a smooth dough.
• Lightly flour your hands and press the dough into the prepared baking pan. Bake the shortbread until the edges are firm and the top is dry, 28 to 30 minutes. Top the shortbread with the caramels in an even layer. Return to the oven along with the baking sheet of coconut and cook, tossing the coconut once, until the caramels are melted and the coconut is golden, about 10 minutes.
• Spray the back of a spoon with cooking spray and use it to spread the caramel all over the shortbread. Sprinkle with the chocolate and let sit until the chips are melted, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the toasted coconut and let cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Using the foil overhang as handles, lift the shortbread out of the pan and cut into 12 pieces.

CARAMEL PUDDING TART WITH ALMOND SHORTBREAD CRUST

Steps:

• For crust:
• Butter 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Combine almonds and 1/4 cup sugar in processor; grind nuts finely. Add flour, powdered sugar, and salt; blend 5 seconds. Add butter and blend, using on/off turns, until coarse meal forms. Add egg yolk and blend until moist clumps form, about 30 seconds. Knead dough into ball. Transfer 1/4 cup dough to small bowl and reserve for another use. Press remaining dough evenly onto bottom and up sides of prepared pan. Pierce bottom all over with fork. Cover pan with foil and freeze crust at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake crust uncovered until deep golden brown, checking often and pressing sides and bottom with back of fork during first 15 minutes when crust puffs or bubbles, about 20 minutes total. Cool completely.
• For pudding:
• Place cornstarch and salt in medium bowl. Gradually add 1/4 cup milk, whisking until cornstarch dissolves. Whisk in egg yolks.
• Stir sugar and 1/3 cup water in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil, brushing down pan sides with wet pastry brush. Boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber, swirling pan occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add 2 cups milk (mixture will bubble). Whisk until caramel bits dissolve. Slowly whisk hot milk mixture into yolk mixture; return to same pan. Whisk until pudding thickens and boils, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter and vanilla. Transfer to crust. Chill uncovered until cold and just firm, at least 3 hours. Do ahead Can be made 1 day ahead.
• For topping:
• Stir 2/3 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water in heavy medium skillet (do not use nonstick) over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil, brushing down pan sides with wet pastry brush. Boil without stirring until syrup is medium amber color, about 7 minutes. Add almonds and stir to coat evenly with caramel. Immediately scrape coated almonds onto sheet of foil. Working quickly with 2 forks, separate almonds and spread out in single layer. Cool completely. Do ahead Let almonds stand at room temperature up to 6 hours or cover and chill up to 1 day. Break almonds into small clusters before using.
• Press bottom of pan up, releasing tart. Whisk cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in bowl until peaks form; spread over tart. Sprinkle almond clusters with fleur de sel. Garnish tart with clusters.

CARAMEL SHORTBREAD SQUARES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C).
• In a medium bowl, mix together 2/3 cup butter, white sugar, and flour until evenly crumbly. Press into a 9 inch square baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes.
• In a 2 quart saucepan, combine 1/2 cup butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and sweetened condensed milk. Bring to a boil. Continue to boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon for about 3 minutes. Pour over baked crust (warm or cool). Cool until it begins to firm.
• Place chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 1 minute, then stir and continue to heat and stir at 20 second intervals until chocolate is melted and smooth. Pour chocolate over the caramel layer and spread evenly to cover completely. Chill. Cut into 1 inch squares. These need to be small because they are so rich.

ALMOND SHORTBREAD I

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat butter with 1/2 cup sugar and almond extract until light and fluffy. With a wooden spoon, stir in flour until smooth and well combined. Divide dough into 2 parts. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• On lightly sugared surface, roll out dough, one part at a time, about 1/2-inch thick. Cut out cookies with a 1 1/2-inch round cookie cutter. Place on ungreased cookie sheet 1 inch apart. Make an indentation in the center of each cookie with the end of a wooden spoon.
• Bake in preheated oven until cookies are light golden brown around the edges, 25 to 30 minutes. While still warm, roll in sugar. Cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an air-tight container.

ALMOND SHORTBREADS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Blend and pulse the 1/2 cup nuts in a food processor with the sugar until mixture resembles coarse sand. (If there are a couple small chunks of nuts that is fine.) Add the butter, vanilla and almond extracts, and the salt, and pulse until creamy. Add the flour and continue to pulse to make a soft dough.
• Turn the dough out into a 9-inch tart pan and spread it out evenly with an off-set spatula. Dip the spatula in a little warm water to help smooth and even the surface of the shortbread. Cover and freeze until firm, about 20 minutes.
• Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and dock (prick) the dough all over with a fork. Generously sprinkle the top of the shortbread with sugar. Toss the remaining whole almonds in the egg white; evenly arrange and press the nuts into the dough around the edge of the pan. Bake until golden brown and set, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.
• Cool the short bread in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the tart ring and cut the shortbread with a sharp knife into wedges, each with a nut. Cool shortbreads on a rack completely. (Alternatively present the shortbread as 1 large cookie. Cool the shortbread in the pan completely and remove the tart ring. Cut the shortbread into wedges as desired.) Serve. Store in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days.

ALMOND CARAMEL SHORTBREADS

Steps:

• For the Shortbread:.
• Preheat your oven to 350.
• prepare a 9" x 13" pan with either flour and butter, or a piece of parchment paper pressed into the pan and up the sides slightly. (I use parchment).
• Cream your butter and sugar together.
• scrape the bowl and add yolks.
• scrape the bowl again, making sure the yolks are mixed in, but don't over mix.
• Add your spices and one cup of flour, mix briefly until just combined, then add your second cup of flour.
• Your dough should be moist and clumpy, dump this into your pan and press to fit in an even layer, with your fingertips. this doesn't have to be perfect.
• Bake for 15-20 min, until just set and lightly browned at edges.
• Prep your ingredience for the caramel as you put the shortbread in the oven.
• Put everything except the almonds into a heavy bottomed sauce pan.
• when you pull the short bread out of the oven, turn the burner on medium, and heat until the mixture is bubbly and starting to brown, stirring fairly constantly. Using a heat resistant spatula is great, so you can scrape along the bottom to prevent burning. this will take 5 min or so from everything melting.
• Turn off the heat and stir in your almonds until evenly coated.
• spread the whole mixture on top of the shortbread and pop it back into the oven for another 15 to 20 minute.
• the mix will bubble in the oven, its done when the caramel starts to turn golden and the almonds at the edges start to toast.
• Let this cool for 20-30 min, then cut with a bench knife or a chefs knife. I like to cut them into triangles, but like brownies, you can go for whatever floats your boat on this end!

ALMOND TOFFEE SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• In a food processor or blender, place whole almonds and 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar. Cover and process until nuts are finely ground; set aside. , In a bowl, cream butter and remaining sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in extract. Combine flour, salt and ground almond mixture; gradually add to creamed mixture. Press into a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes., Meanwhile, combine toffee bits and corn syrup in a heavy saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until toffee is melted. Remove from the heat; stir in 1/2 cup sliced almonds and 1/2 cup coconut. Carefully spread over hot crust. Sprinkle with remaining almonds and coconut. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into squares.

ALMOND SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• With mixer beat butter and sugar until creamy.
• Beat in almond extract and salt.
• Mix in flour and blend into a soft dough by hand.
• Press dough into an ungreased 8x8" pan, top with almonds, pressing into dough bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown around edges.
• Use a dull knife to cut into squares while still warm when cool use a spatula to transfer slices to a rack to completely cool.