HOW TO THICKEN STORE BOUGHT CARAMEL SAUCE RECIPES

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, add butter, caramel sauce and mix until fluffy.
• Gradually, add powdered sugar (1/2 cup at a time) and mix until frosting is smooth and creamy. 
• If frosting is too thick, mix in some milk or heavy cream. If frosting is too thin, mix in more powdered sugar. 
• Cover bowl and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm it up a little more and make it easier to pipe. Enjoy!  

Steps:

• Start by making the caramel filling so it has adequate time to cool before using it to fill the cookies.
• Set a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the sugar all over the bottom of the pan. Cook the sugar, stirring constantly, until it melts and turns a light amber color, about 5-7 minutes. Make sure to watch it and stir it the entire time – sugar burns quickly! It will clump up quite a bit before it melts, so don’t be alarmed if it looks crystallized and clumpy before it fully melts. Just keep stirring!
• Add the cubed butter, a few pieces at a time, and whisk carefully until it is melted and combined. The butter will make the sugar sizzle up a bit, so be careful.
• Once all the butter is melted and incorporated, carefully pour in the heavy cream. It will splatter so do so very slowly and carefully.
• Stir to combine and bring the caramel to a boil. Boil for 1 minute.
• Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the espresso powder, vanilla, and sea salt. Stir well to incorporate.
• Fully cool the caramel to room temperature. It will get thick and glossy as it cools.
• Combine the softened butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer (you can also mix with a hand mixer in a standard bowl). Beat the butter and sugars together until smooth, creamy, and slightly fluffy, about 5 minutes.
• Add in the egg yolks and vanilla bean paste and beat to combine.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, espresso powder, cinnamon, cornstarch, and salt until well combined.
• Add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until combined. The dough will be thick and crumbly. It should easily hold it’s shape when you press it together..
• Using a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop out heaping tablespoon balls of the dough, roll them into smooth balls in your hands, and then roll them in the cinnamon sugar to coat.
• Place the coated cookie dough balls on parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving a couple inches of space in between.
• Use a ½ teaspoon measuring spoon to gently press an indentation in the center of the cookie dough (you can also use your thumb – the measuring spoon just ensures that the indentations are round and even).
• Transfer the formed cookies to the freezer for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375°F while the cookies chill.
• After the cookies have chilled for 20 minutes, transfer them straight to the hot oven. I did mine in two batches.
• Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until set and lightly golden brown around the edges.
• Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely on the tray.
• Once they are cooled, fill the cookies with the caramel sauce, using roughly 1 teaspoon for each cookie. The caramel will be very thick, so I find that using two small spoons to fill the cookies works best.
• Sprinkle flaky salt over the caramel.
• Allow them to set completely before storing – for me this took about 30 minutes of sitting at room temperature for the caramel to firm up.