21 Days of Cookies: Day 18
Here’s something you may not know about this year’s 21-Day Cookie Marathon: I don’t post every cookie that I make. Some of them just didn’t make the cut.
These make the cut, but I actually had to make them twice to get it right. The original instructions just called for baking the shells in a greased mini-muffin tin. I could not remove those cashew crust shells from the muffin pan without destroying them, so I’m altering the instructions. Line your muffin tin with mini-muffin cups or glassine papers. They’ll pop right out of the tin, plus make better finger food, with their own little wrappers.
I found that forming the crusts with the bottle cap from my Costco-sized vanilla bottle gave me the perfect shape. Sprinkle a little flour on top to keep the bottle cap from sticking.
I made them twice because they ARE worth it. A cashew short-crust so tender that it just melts in your mouth, plus a soft caramel filling studded with cashews. And, the caramel cashew filling is easy to make with store-bought caramels! Definitely a winner.
Warning: these instructions call for making the cookie in a food processor, which is a little unusual, but makes short work of grinding nuts and cutting butter. It’s the best tool for the job. And be sure to use unsalted cashews — salted would add way too much salt to your cookie. Always toast your nuts before use — both the nuts in the shells and the nuts in the filling! It really enhances the nutty flavor and the texture.
Caramel Cashew Tassies
Ingredients
Crust
- ½ cup unsalted cashews toasted
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 7 tbsp butter chilled and cut into pieces
- 1 egg yolk
Cashew Caramel Filling
- 3¾ oz soft caramels or 13 pieces wrapped caramels
- 2½ tbsp heavy cream
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted cashews toasted
Instructions
- In a food processor, process 1/2 cup cashews, powdered sugar, and brown sugar until fine like sand.
- Add flour and salt and pulse to combine.
- Sprinkle butter cubes over the top and pulse until butter is thoroughly cut in and mixture resembles coarse sand.
- Add egg yolk and process until mixture forms a ball.
- In a mini-muffin tin lined with paper or glassine cupcake liners, press 1 tbsp of dough on bottom and sides to create a cup.
- Bake at 350 for 13-17 minutes, and rotate the muffin tin halfway through. You want a golden brown color on the shells.
- Cool the shells in the muffin tin for 20 minutes, then remove to wire rack to cool completely.
Caramel Cashew Filling
- Melt together caramels, cream, and salt in a small saucepan, stirring constantly (it will scorch in a heartbeat, don't stop stirring). When thoroughly melted and combined, remove from heat and stir in cashews.
- Add about 1 tsp of this filling to each short crust shell. Let the filling cool until set.
Any cookie can be a Christmas cookie with sprinkles!
