Description
These Salted Caramel Turtle Thumbprint Cookies combine rich cocoa-flavored buttery dough coated with crunchy pecans, filled with gooey salted caramel, and drizzled with luscious melted chocolate for a perfect balance of sweet and salty in every bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Cookie Dough
- 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
Coating and Toppings
- 1 1/4 cups finely chopped pecans
- 15 caramels (such as Kraft)
- 2 1/2 Tbsp heavy cream
- Flaky or coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
- 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 for later use.
- Cream butter and sugars: In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the softened butter with granulated sugar and light-brown sugar on medium-high speed until the mixture is slightly pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Incorporate egg yolk and vanilla: Mix in the egg yolk and vanilla extract until fully combined, reserving the egg white in the refrigerator for later.
- Add buttermilk and dry ingredients: Blend in the buttermilk, then with the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry flour mixture and mix just until incorporated without overmixing.
- Chill the dough: Shape the dough into a ball, place on plastic wrap, flatten into a 6-inch disk, wrap tightly, and chill in the refrigerator for 45 minutes until slightly firm or up to 1 day. If chilled longer than a few hours, allow dough to sit at room temperature briefly before shaping to avoid cracking.
- Prep for rolling: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the reserved egg white and whisk vigorously until frothy. Place finely chopped pecans into a separate bowl.
- Shape and coat cookies: Divide the dough into 1-inch balls (about 18 grams each). One at a time, dip each dough ball into the egg white, letting excess run off, then roll immediately in chopped pecans to coat evenly. Gently press nuts to adhere if needed.
- Form thumbprints: Arrange the coated dough balls on parchment-lined baking sheets. Using your thumb, create a deep indentation in the center of each ball.
- Bake cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes until the cookies are set. Remove from oven and use the back of a rounded teaspoon to press down the thumbprint indentation further to make space for caramel filling. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for several minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare caramel filling: Place caramels and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat on high in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until melted and smooth.
- Fill cookies: Spoon the warm caramel into each cookie indentation and sprinkle lightly with flaky or coarse sea salt.
- Make chocolate drizzle: In a separate microwave-safe bowl, combine chopped chocolate and shortening. Heat at 50% power in 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until melted and smooth. Transfer to a piping bag or resealable plastic bag, cut a small tip, and drizzle chocolate over the cookies.
- Set and store: Allow the chocolate drizzle to set at room temperature. Store the cookies in an airtight container for freshness.
Notes
- To prevent cracking when making indentations, let chilled dough return to room temperature for a few minutes if it’s very firm.
- Substitute pecans with walnuts or almonds if preferred.
- Use a piping bag or a small ziplock bag for precise chocolate drizzle application.
- The cookies keep well stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- For softer cookies, reduce bake time slightly, keeping watch near 10 minutes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 70 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
