Don’t know if you’re aware that Martha Stewart has just published a new cookbook – called Martha Stewart’s Cookies. A really thick tome, it contains 175 new recipes with super photos. This one was delicious! My friend Kathleen brought them the other night when she came to our home for dinner. Kathleen’s a good writer, so I asked her if she’d like to guest-write this posting. Happily for me, she agreed. You can find the recipe on Martha’s site. I wrote up another of Kathleen’s recipes some time back – if you’re interested, check out her Almond Custard. Here’s Kathleen’s write-up about the cookies:
I am a Martha Stewart junkie. Even her checkered past doesn’t dampen my enthusiasm for everything Martha; I just can’t get enough. I also love technology, especially if somebody else installs and troubleshoots it.
So here’s how technology connected me to Martha’s Cashew Caramel Cookies: I listen in my car to Everyday Food Editor Sandy Gluck’s show on the Martha Stewart channel on Sirius radio. Sandy raved about Martha’s latest book, Martha Stewart’s Cookies, so I previewed it on Martha’s website, logged on to amazon.com and ordered it. It’s great to get exactly what you want without ever having to set foot inside a store. I guess I’m the perfect example of someone who is fully plugged into the Martha Stewart distribution network. I even asked my husband to record all of Martha’s television shows for me so that I can watch them in the evening.
So far, each recipe that I have tried has been simple to prepare and delicious. When relatives recently came to visit, they loved the cookies so much that they even ate them for breakfast. I sent the book to my niece and she is having similar successful results. I hope you enjoy your copy of Martha Stewart Cookies as much as I do mine. I swear that I am not on her payroll, though perhaps I should be!
The cookies have a salty tang to them (because you use roasted, salted cashews) and the drizzle of caramel on the top is just a lovely finale to each cookie. They look wonderful, and taste wonderful. Thanks, Kathleen!
Cashew-Caramel Cookies
Recipe By: Martha Stewart’s Cookies
Serving Size: 36
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups cashews — roasted, salted
2 tablespoons canola oil — plus 1 teaspoon
1 stick unsalted butter — (8 tablespoons) softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar — packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
24 cubes caramel candy — 7 ounces, soft type
1/4 cup heavy cream
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour and salt together. Coarsely chop 1 cup cashews; set aside. Process remaining 1 1/2 cups cashews in a food processor until finely chopped. Pour in oil. Process until mixture is creamy, about 2 minutes.
2. Put cashew mixture, butter, and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low; gradually add flour mixture. Mix in reserved chopped cashews.
3. Shape dough into 1 1/2-inch balls; space 2 inches apart on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake 6 minutes; gently flatten with a spatula. Bake until bottoms are just golden, 6 to 7 minutes more. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.
4. Melt caramels with cream in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring. Let cool. Using a spoon, drizzle caramel over cookies; let set. Store airtight in single layers.
NOTES: Plastic wrap and foil both stick to the caramel topping. Ideally, freeze these individually on a large cookie sheet, then place in a plastic bag so they won’t stick together. Someone on the Martha website suggested reducing the amount of heavy cream to eliminate the stickiness. Don’t know if that would work or not.
Per Serving: 155 Calories; 9g Fat (50.6% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 17g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 15mg Cholesterol; 50mg Sodium.
Printer-friendly PDF recipe
