Dutch Caramel Cashew Cookies

Total Time: 32 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 12 mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 pinch cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup finely chopped roasted cashews (salted or unsalted) or 1/2 cup raw cashews (salted or unsalted)
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (can increase this to 1 tsp, if you like)
• 1 cup flour

Recipe

• 1 make cashew praline: in a heavy skillet cook sugar with the water and cream of tartar over moderately high heat, washing down any undissolved sugar that clings to the sides of the skillet with a brush dipped in cold water, until the mixture is a light caramel. quickly stir in cashews. pour the praline onto a buttered piece of foil and with a buttered spatula spread it into a thin sheet. let it cool until it hardens and chop it coarsely.
• 2 in a bowl beat butter with sugar until creamy. beat in egg yolk and vanilla. stir in flour and 2/3 of the chopped praline and form the mixture into a dough.
• 3 drop the dough by heaping teaspoons onto a lightly buttered baking sheet about 2 inches apart, flatten slightly and sprinkle with remaining praline. bake at 350° f for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly browned. let the cookies cool on the sheet for about 1 minute and with a spatula remove them to a rack to cool completely.