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These salted caramel thumbprint cookies are a soft sugar cookie filled with salted caramel and drizzled with melted semi sweet chocolate.
It’s officially cookie season!! Cookie season is by far the best season if you ask me. The cookie creations are endless. I have dozens of wacky cookie recipes up my sleeves and this one is just the beginning. Ever since I had salted caramel for the first time I have been O-B-S-E-S-S-E-D! Caramel has always been one of my favorites but adding salt to it… OH MY GOODNESS! If you’ve never had salted caramel you seriously need to make these cookies and try it out.
This cookie idea came to me in a dream. Seriously, I dream about food. I’m weird, I know. I woke up and wrote down the idea then I put the idea into action. They taste ever more amazing than I expected them to. Which is a really good thing for you and I. If you want to be the talk of your Christmas party or cookie swap this recipe is definitely for you.
If you want a more chocolatey flavor you could totally dip the tops of the cookies in chocolate once the caramel has cooled and set. Then the caramel would be a surprise for everyone who didn’t know 😉 I personally am not the biggest fan of chocolate so the drizzle was the perfect amount for me. I didn’t want to wash out that amazing salted caramel flavor.
If you aren’t the best chocolate drizzler you can simply put the melted chocolate into a small zipper lock baggie and cut a small tip of the corner off and go to town. Another fun but messy way is using a fork instead of a spoon. The spoon sometimes will leaves large globs of chocolate on your cookies whereas the fork leaves a more even drizzle.
Salted Caramel Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 11 ounces caramel bits
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips melted
- 1 teaspoon flaky salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of your stand mixer cream together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until fluffy.
- Mix in the egg, vanilla, salt, and baking soda until thoroughly combined.
- Add in the flour and mix until incorporated.
- Form cookies into heaping tablespoon sized balls. Line a large baking sheet with plastic wrap and drop balls of dough onto the lined sheet. Using a round teaspoon press down the center of each dough ball.
- Freeze for a minimum of 60 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375º F.
- Spread cookies 2 inches a part on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes (centers will slightly raise) Lightly press down the centers with the same teaspoon you used the first time. Bake for an additional 2 minutes and remove from oven to cool.
- In a microwave safe bowl melt together caramels and water stirring every 30 seconds until fully melted. Fill the centers of the cookies with the caramel. Top with a pinch of the flaky salt and drizzle with melted chocolate.
- Store in an airtight container. Enjoy!
Stephanie says
Our favorite Christmas cookies! These are consistently a huge success!
Kristine says
I also had the flattened cookie effect. My daughter loved em’ so I’ll be making them that way for her. I froze the balls and put what dough i had left in a sprayed mini muffin tin. Baked for 12 min at 350 and they poofed up nicely. More of a tartlet than a cookie. I used a tart shaper to make indention’s once the cookie’s had cooked for a bit before removing them from the pan to achieve a similar look to your pictures.
Nicole says
Do these freeze well?
stacey says
How did you get the melted caramel onto the cookie so neatly? I can imagine it being a BIG mess for me, lol!
Elizabeth says
Hi! These looked absolutely wonderful so I tried them out tonight to take into work tomorrow. I followed the recipe exactly, but when I put them in the oven, they came out super flat, and lost all shape. I’m a rather experienced baker, so I don’t think I messed anything up in the process. Any thoughts on what might be the issue?
Karissa | Sweet as a Cookie says
Did you freeze the dough until it was super firm? Pre-shaped? I had the flattening issue with slightly cold and room temperature dough. It needed to hard as a rock in order for it not to spread.
peggy says
I had the same issue today and mine were frozen solid. Still pretty though
Teresa says
These look amazing! I’m adding them to my Christmas cookie list this year…it’s getting to be quite a list! Thanks for sharing:)
Betty Burdick says
I saw these on pinterest and they look fabulous. I’m wondering if you have ever used the wrapped Kraft caramels instead of the caramel bits and if so any adjustments that may need to be made. Thanks for any suggestions.
Jean says
What are caramel bits anyway? Who makes them?
Karissa | Sweet as a Cookie says
Kraft http://www.walmart.com/ip/Kraft-Premium-Unwrapped-Caramel-Bits-11-oz/10308416 you can find them with the chocolate chips.
Mary says
These look great! About how many should this recipe make?
Katie says
Hi Mary! It should make about 2 1/2-3 dozen depending on how big you make the cookie 🙂 Enjoy!
Johnavon says
If my problem was a Death Star, this article is a photon toodrpe.