Apple Pie Cookies with Caramel

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 300 g flour
• 120 g sugar
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 225 g butter, cold
• 2 tsp cinnamon powder
• ½ tsp allspice powder
• ½ tsp ginger powder
• 4 tbsp water, ice cold
• 110 g raw cane sugar
• 35 g butter
• 60 ml whipped cream
• ½ tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 pinch(s) of salt, generous
• 4 large apples, preferably sour
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 75 g sugar
• 25 g butter
• ¼ tsp cinnamon powder
• 1 pinch(s) nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1 tbsp whipped cream
• 1 egg(s)

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 25 minutes

For the dough, mix the flour with the sugar, sea salt, and spices. Pulse the dough with the cold butter in a food processor until the butter flakes are tiny. Alternatively, you can do this on a board with a large kitchen knife. Add the ice-cold water and mix briefly. Pour the dough onto the table and press it together slightly with your hands to form a ball. Place the ball in a plastic bag, flatten it, and place it in the refrigerator. For the caramel, combine the brown sugar with the butter, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt in a saucepan, stirring constantly, until it turns golden brown and thick. Set aside in a bowl. For the apple filling, peel and core the apples, then chop them into fairly small pieces. Sprinkle with the lemon juice to prevent them from browning. Place the diced apples in a saucepan with the sugar, butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. The apples should soften and lose a lot of their juice. Place in a sieve, reserving as much of the liquid as possible. Return this to the pot and simmer, stirring, until the liquid thickens and caramelizes. Add the apples again and stir in. The filling shouldn’t be runny, or it will run out of the cookies. Preheat the oven to 180°C (top/bottom heat). Take the dough out of the refrigerator, knead briefly, and roll out thinly, about 4-5 mm thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out circles and place them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Mine were 8 cm in size, but you can also make a bit larger. An 8 cm diameter will yield a few more cookies. Place a teaspoon of caramel on each sheet of dough and about a tablespoon of apple filling on top, leaving the edges free. Whisk 1 tablespoon of whipped cream with the egg and brush the edges with this mixture. Cut strips from the remaining dough and place them crosswise on the cookies. Press the edges down slightly. Finally, trim off any excess strips with the cutter again to ensure a clean edge. Brush with the egg and cream mixture. Bake in the oven on the middle rack for about 20-25 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown.