Cashew Cookies with a Beer Caramel Glaze

If you have Diabetes stay away from this post. Just looking at it will make your Blood Sugar go up! I promise!

Last night, I was invited to my friends, Jilda’s, Mom’s Annual Cookie Swap. First off, I would like to stay, Nancy is the best hostess! She is one of those Italian woman that lives to entertain and feed people. Huck and I both think she is great.

I’ve been lacking on the Christmas spirit lately, so a Christmas Cookie Swap was just the thing I needed!

We started off with food.

She made some hot pastries, too. I ate my body wait in them.

We all sat around the living room, and talked about what was new in our life. I, of course, talked about my recent wedding.

Then, we went around the room, and talked about our cookies. Of course, in Life Food and Beer fashion, I made a cookie with beer. I’m not a fan of baking (I HATE MEASURING STUFF!), but trying to incorporate beer into it, makes it more fun.

 

Cashew Cookies with a Beer Caramel Glaze

Recipe Adapted From Martha Stewart-Cookie Book

Makes 3 Dozen Cookies

• · 1 2/3 Cup All-Purpose Flour
• · ½ tsp Coarse Salt
• · 2 ½ Cups Roasted Salted Cashew
• · 2 Tbsp Plus 1 tsp Canola Oil
• · ½ Cup or 1 Stick Unsalted Butter- Room Temperature
• · ¾ Cup Light Brown Sugar- Packed
• · ½ Cup Granulated Sugar
• · 1 Large Egg
• · 1 tsp Vanilla Extract- Pure!
• · 24 Soft Caramel Candy Cubes
• · ¼ Cup Dark Beer (You can substitute Heavy Cream, too)

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour and salt. Coarsely chop 1 cup cashews; set aside. Process remaining 1 ½ cups cashews in a food processor until finely chopped. Pour in oil; process until creamy, about 2 minutes.

2. Put cashew mixture, butter, and sugars into bowl of electric mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture and reserved chopped cashews.

3. Using a 1 ½ inch scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake 6 minutes; gently flatten cookies (I used a measuring cup). Bake until bottoms are golden, 6-7 minutes more. Let cool on wire racks.

4. Add beer to sauce pot. Reduce, over medium low heat, for 10 minutes. Add caramels to pot and melt over low heat, stirring. Let mixture cool. Using a spoon or Ziploc bag, with the corn cut, drizzle beer mixture over cookies; let set.

· ENJOY

Sue made this cookies for our wedding, minus the beer. They were my favorite. I can’t wait to get my wedding pictures back to show you guys the amazing desserts she made.

Nancy gave us each a tray and we filled them up with cookies. There was 13 different cookies (I think) My tray was overflowing!!

The Christmas Scottish Shortbeard cookies were one of my favorites! I’ll have to recreate them and share the recipe. Jilda made Butterfinger Cookies that were fantastic, too. Those were about all the cookies I had. I couldn’t eat any more!

It was a great night spent with some awesome people. Thanks ladies for inviting me! I can’t wait for next year!