Spiced Maple, White Chocolate & Salted Caramel Cookies

Ingredients

Cookies:
1 ½ cups plain flour
1 tsp each ground cinnamon & ground ginger
½ tsp salt
¾ tsp baking soda
170g Lewis Road creamery salted butter
1 cup soft brown sugar, packed
¼ cup caster sugar
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla extract
200g white chocolate, roughly chopped

Maple Salted Caramel:
¾ cup caster sugar
100g Lewis Road creamery salted butter, diced
¾ cup cream
2 Tbsp maple syrup
½ tsp cinnamon

Method

• 1

  Preheat your oven to 190°C. Line two baking trays with parchment paper.

• 2

  Whisk flour, spices, salt and baking soda together in a small bowl. Set aside. Add about two thirds of the butter to a medium saucepan. Place on medium heat and cook for about 3 minutes, until butter melts and starts to foams. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes, until milk solids from the butter begin to brown and smell nutty. Transfer butter to a large bowl and set aside to cool for a few minutes. Add remaining butter to bowl with browned butter and whisk together to melt. Add both sugars and whisk together, until just combined. Add the egg, egg yolks and vanilla and whisk together, until sugar has dissolved and the mixture is smooth and glossy. Add dry ingredients and mix together, until just combined ad no dry spots remain. Fold through the white chocolate. Place dough into the fridge to cool for 20 minutes.

• 3

  Add sugar to a small pot and shake to distribute sugar into an even layer. Place on medium-high heat and cook undisturbed for about 3 minutes, until sugar starts to melt and caramelize. Stir gently and cook for a further 30 seconds, until all the sugar has melted and is a dark caramel colour (keep an eye on it as it can burn easily). Immediately add butter and ½ tsp salt to the pot and whisk quickly, until all the butter has melted. Pour in the cream in a steady stream, whilst whisking, until incorporated. Whisk in cinnamon and maple syrup, reduce heat to low and simmer for a further 4-5 minutes, until thickened and glossy. Transfer to a bowl, cover and set aside in the fridge to cool down.

• 4

  Portion out 16 balls of dough and roll into balls. Divide between the two baking sheets, spacing cookies a few inches apart. Bake cookies for 8–12 minutes, until golden brown around the outside. Set aside to cool on the baking sheet.

• 5

  Once cooled, drizzle cookies with salted caramel sauce and a pinch of flaky salt, if desired.