Shortbread

1. Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, whip the butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla.
3. Add the flour mixture to the butter a little at a time until incorporated. The mixture will be course. You may now refrigerate the dough (for 30 minutes or a few days).
4. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F.
5. Press about a tablespoon of dough into a slightly flattened ball. Place on ungreased baking sheet about 2” apart. Bake in the preheated oven for about 10-12 min or until the edges are lightly browned.
6. When you remove the pan from the oven, leave the cookies on the cookie sheet for about a minute. Then use a spoon (I use a measuring teaspoon) to carefully press indents into the tops of the cookies. After the indents are made, move to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Caramel

1. Combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, sugar, heavy cream and cayenne pepper in a small saucepan. Note that the mixture will expand somewhat as it boils, so make sure that you have a little bit of room, while still having enough depth to get an accurate reading with a candy thermometer.
2. Cook over medium heat until it reaches a temp of 230°F (soft ball stage – if you drop the caramel into a glass of cold water it will form a soft, flexible ball). For my caramel it takes about 4-5 minutes to begin simmering and then about 7 more minutes to reach soft ball stage.
3. Once it reaches 230°F, immediately remove from heat and stir in vanilla. 
4. Using a spoon, drizzle caramel into the indents in the cooled cookies. Let set until cooled.