Red has been asking me if I could make him these cookies since we got the Martha Stewart Cookies Book earlier this year.  I have been putting them off simply because I had so many other recipes that I wanted to try. Then I joined the Martha Stewart Cupcake club, and he asked me if there was a cookie club!  I quickly got the hint and got busy in the kitchen to make these cookies. The ingredients are pretty simple, the only things that you have to have is enough cashew and caramel cubes. I was really glad that I did!

These cookies are absolutely fantastic! The cashew flavor really came through and the rich caramel added such a nice sophisticated touch to the regular “everyday” dessert! They are really… like the fancier adult version of peanut butter cookies. This recipe made three dozens, which is way more than I usually like to have around the house. But since the recipe called for an egg, and I didn’t want to fuzz with halving the egg, I made the entire batch! I decided to freeze some and only make enough caramel to drizzle the ones that we wanted to enjoy right away.  Yum!!

Ingredients

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups roasted salted cashews
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon canola oil
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
24 cubes soft caramel candy (7 ounces)
1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions

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

Put cashew mixture, butter, and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in egg and vanilla.

Reduce speed to low; gradually add flour mixture. Mix in reserved chopped cashews.

Shape dough into 1 1/2-inch balls; space 2 inches apart on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake 6 minutes; gently flatten with a spatula. Bake until bottoms are just golden, 6 to 7 minutes more. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.

Melt caramels with cream in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring. Let cool. Using a spoon, drizzle caramel over cookies; let set. Store airtight in single layers.

Yield: 3 dozens