Stroopwafel

Dutch Stoopwafels have interested me since I first saw them in a photo on Flickr.  The stroopwafel was placed atop a hot cup of coffee warming the filling inside while the outside stays crisp. How wonderful to utilize the escaping heat from my teacup.  A Dutch stroopwafel is a cookie or thin and crisp waffle  made using a pizzelle for the cookies and then making gluing the pizzelles together with a rich caramel filling.  I even dipped a few in chocolate at the request of my family.

These cookies are a bit labor intensive but worth the results. These would make a lovely hostess gift or a nice addition to a holiday cookie tray.

Dutch Stroopwafels
makes 24 filled cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter melted and cooled
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 recipe Caramel Filling (see below)

Stir together flour, baking powder and cinnamon in medium bowl and set aside.
Beat eggs on high with an electric mixer until thick and lemon colored, about 4 minutes.
Gradually beat in sugar on medium.
Beat in butter and vanilla.
Using slowest speed, stir in flour mixture.

Heat and an electric pizzelle iron and oil the grid well.  I brush oil onto the upper and lower grids between each cookie or every other cooking depending on if they stick to the iron.
Place a generous tablespoon of batter in the center of your iron for a four inch pizzelle iron.  Adjust batter amount to the size of your iron.
Close lid and bake pizzelles according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Gently remove pizzelle and cool on a wire rack.
Makes about 48 cookies.

Caramel Filling
makes enough to fill cookies and 60 caramel candies

1 cup butter
2 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Line an 8x8 inch baking pan with foil.  Butter foil.

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat.
Stir in the brown sugar, sweetened condensed milk, and light corn syrup.
Cook and stir until  mixture boils at medium high heat.
Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan.
Lower heat to medium and boil mixture at steady rate stirring frequently until the candy thermometer registers 248F, firm ball stage, about 15 minutes. It is important to maintain the steady boil so adjust your heat as necessary.
Once you reach 248F remove pan from heat and remove thermometer and stir in vanilla.

These steps must be done immediately:

Pour 1-1/2 cups of caramel sauce into a heatproof dish.

Pour remaining caramel into the prepared 8x8 inch baking pan spread to even out.  When cooled cut into squares and wrap in wax paper.

Quickly dollop a generous tablespoon of caramel filling  on one pizzelle  then quickly cover with another pizzelle working the caramel to the edges.  This must be done while the caramel is still hot.

 

Chocolate Salted Caramel Buttons

Chocolate Salted Caramel Button Candies

Makes 20 depending on size of chocolate rounds

10 ounces chocolate of your preference

Fleur de Sel

Melt chocolate in  a medium bowl over a pot of simmering water.
Line a pan or plate that fits in your freezer with parchment or wax paper.
Fill a plastic bag with the corner snipped, make a parchment bag, or use an icing bag fitted with a number 4 or 5 tip.
Pipe rounds an equal number of rounds onto the parchment and place in freezer to firm up.

Caramel Filling

1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup heavy cream

In a medium saucepan, with tall sides combine sugar and water and cook over medium-high heat.
Using a heat proof pastry brush and warm water "paint" the warm water onto any sugar that is stuck to the pan edges.  Liquefying this sugar prevents recrystallization in your finished product.
Attach a candy thermometer.
Boil without stirring until it turns a deep amber color.
Boil to just below 240F the soft ball stage - you want the caramel spreadable but not liquid.  It firms as it cools.
Watch carefully as the sugar will continue to brown after removed from the heat.
Remove from heat and slowly pour in cream (watch for sputtering) and vanilla,  whisking until it is very smooth.

Assembly

Fill rounds with caramel filling by dropping a small amount with a spoon or piping in the center of the flat side of one round then covering with the flat side of the another round creating a sandwich. Apply light pressure and the caramel will spread to the edges.

Sprinkle with fleur de sel.

Firm in the freezer.

Brown Sugar Cake with Caramel Frosting

I wanted to make a nice dessert that was different than my usual last minute dessert fare of hot fudge sundaes with summer stawberry sauce or brownies and vanilla ice cream that I make when company comes for dinner.  Of course, I was pressed for time and making the dessert the day of the dinner, along with the dinner.  Cake and ice cream are favorites but I wanted to dress it up beyond the normal birthday dessert.  Salted caramel is very popular, although it is not one of my most favorite combinations and I can only take it in the salt in small doses (nevermind that I love chocolate dipped pretzels). My tried and true yellow cake recipe was at hand when I came a across a caramel buttercream frosting recipe.  Light yellow cake and caramel buttercream did not seem too compatible so I found a brown sugar cake that matched the frosting perfectly.  I served the cake with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce and chocolate candy buttons filled with caramel and sprinkled with a touch of fleur de sel. It was a lovely sweet and rich dessert.  Add more salt along the way if that suits your taste.

Brown Sugar Cake
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk

Preheat oven to 325 °F.
Grease and flour a 9 inch cake pan.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until no egg remains.
Mix in vanilla extract.
Add flour mixture (starting and ending with the flour) to the butter and eggs in 3 batches alternating with the buttermilk (in two additions). Stir until combined.
Pour batter into prepared cake pan.
Bake for around 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.



Caramel Buttercream Frosting
Frosts one 9 inch round
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 sticks
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

In a medium saucepan, with tall sides combine sugar and water and cook over medium-high heat.
Using a heat proof pastry brush and warm water "paint" the warm water onto any sugar that is stuck to the pan edges.  Liquifying this sugar prevents recrystallization in your finished product.
Boil without stirring until it turns a deep amber color.
Watch carefully as the sugar will continue to brown after removed from the heat.
Remove from heat and slowly pour in cream (watch for sputtering) and vanilla,  whisking until it is very smooth.
Let cool for around 20 minutes, until it’s just barely warm and still pourable.
Meanwhile, beat butter and salt together until light and fluffy.
Add powdered sugar and beat until thoroughly combined.
Pour in the cooled caramel and beat on medium-high speed until light (around 2 minutes).
Spread onto cake (if frosting is too runny, the caramel was too warm when added – refrigerate for around 15-20 minutes until frosting is stiffer).

recipe inspiration http://www.52kitchenadventures.com/