Caramel Cream Cookies

In large bowl, cream 1 cup butter with 1/2 cup brown sugar and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg yolk and mix well. Then add flour until dough forms. Chill for 2-8 hours.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Roll dough into 3/4" balls and place on cookie sheet. Flatten to 1/8" thickness by pressing fork tines, in crosswise pattern, into the balls to flatten, or by pressing with the bottom of a sugared drinking glass.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 8-11 minutes until cookies just begin to turn very light brown around edges. Remove from cookie sheets immediately and cool on wire rack.

In saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter (NOT margarine). Cook over low heat until butter just begins to brown, watching carefully, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat and blend in powdered sugar, vanilla, and cream until desired spreading consistency.

Frost the top of the cookies with a swirl of frosting. If frosting hardens as you work, beat in a bit more cream. You can also sandwich two cookies together with the frosting. Spread frosting on the fat side so the side with the fork marks faces out. Makes about 2 dozen sandwich cookies, or 4-5 dozen frosted cookies.

Note: This recipe is not exactly the same as the Pillsbury Bake-Off winner. I changed the proportion of sugars, reduced the amount of flour, adding a chilling step, and doubled the frosting amount. I also added a lot more vanilla, and came up with the idea of just frosting the tops of the cookies instead of making them into sandwich cookies.