Rosemary Salted Caramel Bites
With Mother’s Day just around the corner, we thought we’d share a treat worthy of boxing up and giving to Mom. We don’t know a mom that doesn’t love a handmade gift!
When Jennifer had her bakery, the Rosemary Salted Caramel Bites were always popular around Mother’s Day. Not sure what it is about this flavor combination that makes it so delicious. Many customers would get a strange look on their face when we mentioned rosemary in a caramel, but one taste and they were hooked! The Brown Butter Shortbread base adds another unexpected twist, making these our go to gift for moms or anyone who enjoys a unique and delicious treat.
Treat your mom well this Sunday!
Brown Butter Shortbread ready to be topped with Caramel!
Steep rosemary in milk and heavy cream.
Allow caramel to boil until it reaches 240 degrees.
Top the shortbread with caramel and dip in tempered chocolate.
Be sure to keep some for yourself!
Rosemary Salted Caramel Bites
Brown Butter Shortbread Base:
- 8 oz (1 cup) unsalted butter (preferably European Style) – room temp
- 7 oz (2/3 cup) granulated sugar
- 5 oz (2 1/3 cups) all purpose flour
- ¾ tsp salt
Rosemary Caramel:
- 24 oz (3 cups) whole milk
- 14 oz (1 ¾ cups) heavy cream
- Fresh rosemary sprigs (about 20)
- 16 oz (2 ¼ cups) granulated sugar
- 9 oz (3/4 cup) glucose syrup or light corn syrup
- 3 oz (1/4 cup) mild honey
- 1 oz (2 TBS) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 tsp sea salt
Coating & Finishing:
- Rosemary sea salt
- Dark chocolate, tempered
For the Shortbread:
Brown 5.5 oz (11 TBS) of butter until fragrant and light brown in color. Cool in a glass bowl until solid. Cream both butters with sugar until light and fluffy. Add flour and salt and mix until just combined. Gather into a ball and cut into 2 pieces. Roll each piece between two pieces of parchment paper to about 1/4” thick. We used a 1 1/4″ fluted square cutter here, but you can use any shape you’d like, or just use a sharp knife. Place about ½ “apart on parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze for a minimum of 30 minutes. (Shortbread dough can be stored at this point in an airtight container in the freezer for several months until ready to bake.)
Heat oven to 350. Bake from frozen for 12-15 minutes, until lightly brown. While still hot, use a small metal spatula to gently tamp down any air bubbles. Allow to cool completely on baking sheet.
For the Caramel:
Place milk and cream in pot. Remove rosemary from stems and discard stems. Coarsely chop rosemary and add to pot with cream and milk. Heat to a simmer, remove from heat and cover. Steep for 1 hour.
Butter 9 x 13 pan and line with parchment. Lightly butter parchment.
Strain rosemary mixture through fine mesh strainer, pressing on solids to extract liquid. Discard rosemary. Combine rosemary infused milk/cream and sugar in large pot and heat to boil. Add glucose or corn syrup and honey. Continue to boil, stirring constantly until the mixture reaches 230 degrees. Add butter. Continue cooking until it reaches 240 degrees. Immediately remove from heat and add salt. Pour into prepared pan. Allow to cool completely at room temperature and then cover surface with plastic wrap. Let set overnight.
Finishing:
Remove caramel slab from pan. Cut caramel into 1” squares with a sharp knife or cookie cutter and place cut pieces on center of shortbread cookie, pushing lightly to adhere. Working quickly, temper chocolate and dip each caramel topped cookie, being careful to remove as much chocolate as possible. Sprinkle with salt before chocolate sets (let set slightly but not completely before topping with salt). Allow to set up completely.
Store in air tight container at cool room temperature for up to 30 days.
Makes about 96