Salted Caramel Shortbread Cups Recipe

• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
• fleur de sel or other coarse sea salt for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 325u0b0F. Grease 24 mini muffin cups.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and salt and beat until well combined. Add flour and beat until incorporated and a dough has formed.
3. Divide dough between mini muffin cups and press down to mold dough to pan. Bake cookies until lightly golden, about 15 minutes.
4. While cookies are cooling in the pan, place sugar in medium saucepan. Bring heat to medium high. Stir occasionally as sugar begins to melt. When sugar comes to a boil, let cook untouched until turned a deep amber color. Note: Take care not to overcook or caramel will burn.
5. Take sugar off heat and quickly whisk in butter until melted. Pour in heavy cream and whisk until caramel is smooth. Note: Caramel will bubble and steam when cream is added so be careful.
6. Place cookies on a cooling rack or baking sheet. When caramel has come to room temperature, spoon into shortbread cups, filling almost to the rim. Sprinkle cookies with fleur de sel.

unsalted butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, flour, sugar, unsalted butter, heavy cream, fleur de

Taken from www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/10/salted-caramel-shortbread-cups-recipe.html (may not work)