Caramel Cups

Everyone has a favorite candy bar; the one they look for in the supermarket checkout line, the one they hope is crushed up and ready to top their sundae at the ice cream shop. For many of us that candy is Twix. Caramel, cookies, chocolate—you can’t go wrong.

If you want to make this treat even better—yes, it’s possible—you can replicate the flavors of this tempting candy in a homemade treat: caramel cups (aka tassies). Sure, they’re a different shape, but if you close your eyes and take a bite, they taste just the same.

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Ingredients for Caramel Cups

• Butter, softened
• Cream cheese, softened
• All-purpose flour

Filling:

• Packaged caramels
• Evaporated milk

Frosting:

• Shortening
• Butter, softened
• Confectioners’ sugar
• Evaporated milk
• Melted dark chocolate, optional

Directions

Step 1: Make the cookie dough

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Start the dough by creaming together the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy—about five minutes. Be sure that these ingredients are room temperature so they blend together easily. Then add the flour and mix until combined. Once blended, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Step 2: Roll it into balls

After a stay in the fridge, it’s time to shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Cover the dough and chill again for an hour or up to overnight.

Editor’s Tip: This cookie dough is a bit sticky, so the firmer it is, the less messy it’ll be for forming into cookie cups.

Step 3: Press dough into muffin cups

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Pull out your muffin tin and drop a cookie dough ball into each cavity. Then use a tamper lightly dusted with flour to press the dough into a cup shape. If you don’t have a tamper, you can use your thumb or a small spatula to create this shape.

Step 4: Bake the cookie cups

Then prick the bottom of each cookie cup with a fork. Place the muffin tin into a 375ºF oven for 15 to 17 minutes or until golden. Cool the cookies for five minutes, then remove them from the muffin tin and let them cool completely on a wire rack.

Editor’s Tip: If you don’t prick the dough it will puff up and there won’t be enough room for caramel.

Step 5: Make the caramel filling

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Melt the caramels and evaporated milk together in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Once melted and blended, turn off the burner and let the mix cool slightly. Use two spoons to fill the cookie cups with caramel.

Editor’s Tip: It’s tempting to crank up the heat so your candies melt faster, but it’s important to melt the caramel slowly so it doesn’t burn.

Step 6: Frost the caramel cups

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For the frosting, beat together the shortening and butter until smooth. Gradually add in the confectioners’ sugar and milk until the mix is velvety smooth. Use a piping bag fitted with whatever tip you prefer and pipe a swoosh of frosting onto each caramel cup.

Step 7: Drizzle with chocolate

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Take your favorite type of chocolate—milk, dark, semisweet, whatever!—and melt it until smooth. Take a spoon and drizzle it over each cookie.

How to Store Caramel Cups

Store any leftover caramel tassies in the fridge to prevent the frosting from melting and the caramel from getting too sticky. Keep them in an airtight container so the cookie part stays crisp. They’ll be good for only about a day (but we doubt any will last that long).

Can you make caramel cups ahead of time?

Yes! Many steps in this recipe need to be made ahead already, like creaming the butter and cream cheese, and storing the mixture in the fridge for at least an hour to cool. (Don’t forget to soften the cream cheese and butter ahead of time, too!) Plus, the caramel filling has to cool before you pipe the frosting on top.