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Salted Caramel Thumbprint Cookies | Christmas Cookies Recipe

Salted Caramel Thumbprint Cookies 

Katerina | Diethood
Thick, soft, chewy, and gooey Thumbprint Cookies filled with caramel, drizzled with chocolate, and sprinkled with salt.
Servings : 24 Cookies
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 20 minutes
Cooling Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients
  

FOR THE COOKIES
  • 1 cup (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
FOR THE FILLING
  • 12 (11-ounces bag) caramels unwrapped
  • 2 tablespoons half & half
  • 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips, melted
  • coarse sea salt, for topping

Instructions
 

FOR THE COOKIES
  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter on high speed until creamy, about 1 minute.
  • Lower speed to medium and add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract and salt; continue to beat until combined. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl as needed. Turn the mixer off and pour in the flour; with mixer on low speed, beat mixture until soft dough is formed.
  • Pinch off 1 tablespoon of cookie dough and shape into smooth balls. If the dough is too soft to handle, put in the fridge for 10 minutes.
  • Arrange dough balls about 1-1/2 inches apart on the lined cookie sheets. Using the back of a 1/2 teaspoon measure, press down into the middle of each ball to make a well. If the edges crack, reroll the cookie dough ball.
  • Bake for 16 to 20 minutes, or until the tops of the cookies are dry and edges are golden brown.
  • Cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet; transfer from cookie sheet to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 20 minutes.
  • In the meantime, prepare the filling.
FOR THE FILLING
  • In microwavable bowl, microwave caramels and half-and-half uncovered on High 1 to 2 minutes, stirring once or twice, until caramels are melted.
  • Spoon caramel into indentation of each completely cooled cookie; let stand about 10 minutes.
  • Drizzle each cookie with melted chocolate; sprinkle with salt.
  • Let stand about 10 minutes or until chocolate is set.
  • Serve.

Notes

HOW TO MAKE AHEAD
  • Baked, unfilled cookies can be frozen for 1 month. Arrange the cookies in single layers, divided by waxed paper in an airtight container.
  • You can also keep unfilled cookies on the kitchen counter at room temperature for 5 days.
  • Cookies can be filled up to 3 days ahead; once filled, arrange on a sheet pan in one layer and cover with plastic wrap. Make sure the plastic wrap isn't touching the caramel. Store at room temperature.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 cookie | Calories: 191 kcal | Carbohydrates: 23 g | Protein: 2 g | Fat: 10 g | Saturated Fat: 6 g | Cholesterol: 22 mg | Sodium: 154 mg | Potassium: 60 mg | Fiber: 0 g | Sugar: 12 g | Vitamin A: 255 IU | Vitamin C: 0.1 mg | Calcium: 31 mg | Iron: 0.6 mg

Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.

Course: Cookies
Cuisine: American
Keyword: caramel, chocolate cookies, christmas cookies, thumbprint cookies