Chocolate and Caramel Thumbprint Cookies - Pihikete Tapukara Tiakarete me te Karamea
A fudgy chocolate thumbprint cookie with a lighted salted homemade caramel and an option of chocolate buttercream frosting.
Servings 20 delicious cookies
Ingredients
Caramel - Karamea (Homemade Option)
- ½ quantity of my homemade caramel recipe
- 65 g pata (butter)
- ½ C (100 g) huka hāura (brown sugar)
- ¼ teaspoon tote (salt, fine)
- ½ C (125 ml) kirīmi (cream, pouring)
Caramel - Karamea (Store-bought Option)
- 300 g store bought Dulce De Leche
Chocolate Biscuits - Pihikete Tiakarete
- 200 g pata kūteretere (softened butter)
- ¾ C (150 g) huka hāura (brown sugar)
- 2 teaspoon (10 ml) wanira (vanilla)
- ½ C (50 g) kōkō (cocoa, dutch is best)
- 1 ¾ C (260 g) puehu parāoa noa (plain flour)
Chocolate Buttercream - Pani reka Tiakarete (Optional)
- ½ quantity of my dark chocolate buttercream
- 90 g tiakarete parauri (dark chocolate)
- 1 ½ tablespoon (20 ml) miraka (milk)
- 95 g pata kūteretere (softened butter)
- ¼ C (40 g) puehu huka (icing sugar)
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) wanira (vanilla)
The Decoration - Te Whakarākei (Optional)
- ¼ C (25 g) pihitāhio (pistachios, finely chopped)
Instructions
Make the Homemade Caramel (Optional):
- If you are making the caramel: Follow the homemade caramel recipe using the quantities above. If you are using store-bought: Skip this step.
Preheat the Oven:
- Preheat your oven to 170 °C on the bake setting or 160 °C fan bake setting.
Whip the Butter and Sugar:
- In a large bowl, whip the pata kūteretere (softened butter), huka hāura (brown sugar) and wanira (vanilla) for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy in colour and texture.
Add the Dry Ingredients:
- Stir through the kōkō (cocoa). Add the puehu parāoa (flour). Stir until a dough forms.
Roll the Biscuits:
- Roll the mixture in to 20 equal balls.
- Place them on to a baking tray and press them down until they are 2 cm high (these biscuits melt down when they bake so don't squash them down too much).
Create the Thumbprints:
- Then use a 2 cm wide handle to gently create holes in to each pihikete (biscuit), go as deep as you can. If they crack, smooth them out by pressing the sides together.
Bake the Cookies:
- Bake in the preheated oven for 9 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and gently press down the holes again to create deep holes for the karamea (caramel) to go in.
Fill the Cookies with Caramel:
- Once the karamea (caramel) has thickened slightly, spoon it in to the pihikete (biscuits) and make sure to fill them to the top.
Chill the Cookies:
- Whakamātaohia (refrigerate) for 20 minutes so the karamea (caramel) thickens further. If you are decorating the pihikete (cookies), don't chill them up until the buttercream is added.
- If you are only going to this step, it is time for a cuppa because your cookies (biscuits) are ready like this. Ka mau te wehi (fantastic)!If you are decorating them, go to the next step.
Make the Chocolate Buttercream (Optional):
- Whip up a half quantity of my chocolate buttercream following the measurements above.Even though the quantities are different, the process is exactly the same.
Decorate the Cookies (Optional):
- If you are piping it on: Add around ½ cup of pani reka (buttercream) in to a piping bag with a small basket weave nozzle tip. Top up the piping bag as you go, adding a little bit at a time helps the buttercream not to melt too much as you are piping.
- Use the piping tip to create a pattern that conceals the karamea (caramel) inside the pihikete (cookie).
- If you are not piping: Add a teaspoon of pani reka (buttercream) on to each cooled pihikete (cookie) and smooth out the tops.
- Sprinkle with a touch of the crushed pihitāhio (pistachio).
Refrigerate:
- Whakamātaohia mō te 20 miniti (refrigerate for 20 minutes).
Store the Cookies:
- Store these in a sealed container in the fridge or in a cool cupboard. They will keep well like this for up to 5 days.