Buttery shortbread and soft caramel are perfectly matched in these salted bourbon caramel shortbread cookies. The shortbread melts in your mouth with a nutty, buttery flavor that isn’t too sweet. On their own, they are pretty tasty, but not quite holiday material. So I topped them with my bourbon caramel sauce and a sprinkle of salt and for a wonderful holiday treat. A delicious addition to any holiday party. Recipe courtesy of Renee Sitavich from Renee Nicole's Kitchen.
Place the softened butter in the bowl of your stand mixer and beat it until it's fluffy. Add the sugar and vanilla. Beat it until fully incorporated, stopping at least twice to scrape down the sides.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, measure out the all purpose flour and almond flour, along with a pinch of salt. and whisk to combine.
With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the wet mixture in three parts, scraping down the bowl between each addition. After the last addition allow the mixer to continue to run until the flour is fully incorporated. It should pull away from the sides of the bowl, forming a dough ball.
Line your work surface with a 14" long piece of wax paper and dump the dough out onto it. Shape the dough into a long, straight, log. Wrap the wax paper around the dough, securing the ends by twisting.
Place in the freezer overnight, or a minimum of 4 hours.**
Heat your oven to 350°F.
Place the frozen dough on a cutting board and unwrap. Warm a sharp knife under hot water, then slice through the dough making 1/4-inch rounds.***
Place the cookie rounds onto a parchment lined cookie sheet at least one inch apart.
Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the edges begin to turn brown.
Cool cookies 2 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Make the Bourbon Caramel Sauce:
In a small saucepan combine together the butter and brown sugar and bring to a boil.
Once boiling add in the cream and bourbon. Continue to boil for 2 minutes more.
Glaze the Cookies:****
Spoon 1-2 tablespoons of the caramel on top of each cookie, aiming for a circle on top.
Let the cookies cool on the countertop for 15 minutes, then transfer them to the refrigerator to chill completely at least one hour.
Prior to serving, finish the cookies with a light sprinkle of kosher or rock salt.