Take a bow for one of the most amazing recipe posts I've ever seen. Your dedication to getting it right for your other half was so beautiful- that's true love right there!! I had to laugh when your natural inner chef had to step in to use salted butter though... some things are non negotiable 😁 so glad to read in one of your other comments that he enjoyed them!
A though about punching those mini shorties... I'm sure when I used to do leather work as a kid, there was a metal tool used for punching multiple holes. It was a handle with a metal wheel at the end with multiple sharpened punches and you'd roll it along the leather while pressing to punch the holes. Might work for dough too! E
RE: Copycat recipes: Cadbury's Tempo.