Caramel Thumbprint Cookies

Whether you’re planning a holiday party or simply making cookies for snacks at other times of the year, you’ll want to have a batch of these caramel thumbprint cookies ready. A thick chocolate thumbprint cookie cradles a dab of delicious caramel sauce, all covered in chopped pecans and chocolate drizzle.

These cookies are best suited to snacks, parties and in-person gifts, rather than mailing in care packages. They do freeze well, however, so make a double or triple batch!

Ingredients for Caramel Thumbprint Cookies

• Butter and sugar: Creaming butter and sugar creates a light, fluffy mixture that helps make the cookie dough lighter.
• Egg: The egg needs to be separated; you’ll use the yolk in the dough and the white as the “glue” that holds the pecans on the cookies.
• 2% milk: A little liquid and a little fat help make the dough more tender.
• Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract gives baked goods a full flavor.
• All-purpose flour: This flour has the right level of protein to give the cookie dough some strength without making it too chewy and tough.
• Baking cocoa: You want unsweetened baking cocoa for this recipe.
• Chopped pecans: Ensure the pecans are finely chopped; that will help them adhere to the cookie in a more even layer.

Filling:

• Caramels: You won’t need to melt sugar to make caramel for this; soft candies will do.
• Heavy whipping cream: This helps the caramels form a smooth, luxurious sauce.
• Semisweet chocolate chips: These have the right level of sweetness, while milk chocolate will make the cookies too sweet.
• Shortening: This helps make the chocolate drizzle a little thicker.

Directions

Step 1: Make the dough

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolk (set the white aside for now) along with the milk and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa and salt. Gradually add the dry mixture to the creamed mixture.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for one hour or until the dough is easy to handle.

Step 2: Shape the cookies

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Shape all of the dough into 1-inch balls. In one shallow bowl, beat the egg white. Put the chopped pecans in a separate shallow bowl. Dip each ball of dough in the egg white and then the pecans. Pat the pecan layer to help it stick.

Step 3: Bake the cookies

Place the balls 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Press a deep indentation in the center of each ball with the end of a wooden spoon’s handle. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes; the cookies will be set when ready.

Move the cookies from baking sheets to wire racks to cool completely.

Step 4: Make the caramel filling

In a large, heavy saucepan, melt the caramels and cream over low heat. Stir the mixture until it’s smooth. Fill the indentation of each cookie with about 1/2 teaspoon of the caramel mixture.

In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and shortening in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir the chocolate until it’s smooth. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cookies and let stand until the chocolate has set.

Caramel Thumbprint Cookies Variations

• Use different chopped nuts: Try different types of nuts instead of pecans. Walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts are all nice options.
• Change the filling or drizzled topping: If you want a change from chocolate and caramel, try another filling such as the one in these chocolate-covered cherry thumbprints. You can also use white chocolate for the drizzle.

How to Store Caramel Thumbprint Cookies

You can store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or two but put them in the refrigerator if you want to keep them around for longer than that. The cream in the caramel is the reason why these need refrigeration after a couple of days. If you can store anything with caramel in the refrigerator from the start, that’s even better.

Can you freeze caramel thumbprint cookies?

You can freeze these cookies easily. Let them cool and set them in a single layer on a parchment or waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Place the sheet in the freezer for 30 to 60 minutes until the caramel and chocolate drizzle have hardened. Either place the frozen cookies in a freezer-safe, airtight container with waxed paper separating layers of cookies, or wrap a few cookies in plastic wrap and place the packets in a freezer bag. Store cookies in the freezer for up to three months.

Caramel Thumbprint Cookies Tips

What can you use if you don’t have heavy whipping cream?

There are a few substitutes for the heavy whipping cream. Melted butter, evaporated milk, full-fat coconut milk or half-and-half are all good since this recipe doesn’t require you to actually whip the whipping cream. You can also combine half-and-half and melted butter in a 7:1 ratio (seven parts half-and-half to one part melted butter).

Can you make these gluten-free?

You should be able to use gluten-free flour in these cookies, though the texture may change a little depending on the mix you use. Start by using a 1:1 substitution, and tweak the amount you want to use in future batches.

Are these appropriate for mailed holiday cookie packages?

The caramel topping is soft and gooey, so these aren’t a great choice for cookie packages that you plan to mail. You’ll want to use non-gooey cookies like snickerdoodles or maple sugar cookies for mailing. Plus, the caramel sauce contains dairy, which means that you’re best off refrigerating these cookies if you’re going to have any around after a day or two. They’re great for potlucks, office parties and in-person gifts, though.