Description
Delight in these Salted Caramel Turtle Thumbprint Cookies, featuring a rich cocoa-infused dough rolled in pecans, filled with gooey caramel, and drizzled with smooth chocolate. Perfectly balanced with a touch of sea salt, these cookies offer a delicious blend of sweet, salty, and nutty flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
- 1 large egg, yolk and white separated
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp buttermilk
- 1 1/4 cups finely chopped pecans
Toppings
- 15 caramels (such as Kraft)
- 2 1/2 Tbsp heavy cream
- Flaky or coarse sea salt
- 3 oz chopped milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips, or chopped chocolate
- 2 tsp shortening
Instructions
- Prepare Dry Ingredients: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, and salt; set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and light-brown sugar on medium-high speed until the mixture is slightly pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Mix in the egg yolk and vanilla extract until incorporated, then blend in the buttermilk.
- Combine Dough: With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined to form the dough.
- Chill Dough: Shape the dough into a ball and place it on a sheet of plastic wrap. Flatten into a 6-inch disk, wrap tightly, and chill for 45 minutes until slightly firm or up to 1 day. If chilled longer, let the dough rest at room temperature briefly before shaping.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Egg White: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the reserved egg white from the refrigerator and whisk vigorously until frothy.
- Coat Dough Balls: Shape chilled dough into 1-inch balls (about 18 grams each). Drop each ball into the frothy egg white, then roll in the finely chopped pecans, pressing gently to help them stick if needed.
- Make Thumbprint Indentations: Transfer coated balls to parchment-lined baking sheets. Make a deep indentation in the center of each ball using your thumb.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven until set, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven and gently press down the indentations again using the bottom of a rounded teaspoon to create more space for the caramel.
- Cool Cookies: Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for several minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Melt Caramel Filling: Place caramels and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat on high power in 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until melted and smooth.
- Fill Indentations: Spoon the caramel mixture into the indentations of the cooled cookies and sprinkle with a small pinch of flaky sea salt.
- Melt Chocolate Drizzle: In a separate microwave-safe bowl, combine chopped chocolate and shortening. Heat on 50% power in 30-second intervals, stirring between, until melted and smooth.
- Drizzle Chocolate: Pour the melted chocolate into a piping bag or a resealable plastic bag with a snipped corner, then drizzle over the caramel-filled cookies.
- Set and Store: Allow the chocolate drizzle to set completely before storing the cookies in an airtight container.
Notes
- Use room temperature butter to ensure it creams properly for a fluffy dough.
- If the dough is too firm after chilling, let it soften slightly at room temperature before shaping to prevent cracking.
- Rolling the dough balls in egg white before pecans helps the nuts stick better.
- Be careful not to overbake to keep cookies soft and chewy.
- Use high-quality caramels and chocolate for the best flavor.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days to maintain freshness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 80 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
