Chocolate Caramel Thumbprint Cookies

These little bites of goodness were so much fun to make. Rich chocolate, gooey caramel and crunchy pecans in every bite. What's not to love. The extra prep time to make this is well worth the end result. They also look so good, don't they? Again, I am such a sucker for cuteness. Hence, why Spencer gets away with so much!


So if you have a little extra time, like cookies and want to show off your baking skills a little, give these a try. This recipe makes 36 but they won't last long.


Ingredients:
1 egg
1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cups sugar
2 TBLS. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. salt
16 caramels
3 TBLS. whipping cream
1 1/4 cups finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. shortening


Separate egg; placing white and yolk in separate bowls. Cover and chill egg white until needed. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Add sugar and beat well. Beat in egg yolk, milk and vanilla.


In a separate bowl, stir together flour, cocoa powder and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and beat until well combined. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. In a small saucepan, heat and stir caramels and whipping cream low heat until mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.


Slightly beat reserved egg white. Shape the dough into 1" balls. Roll the balls in the egg white, then in the pecans, to coat. Using your thumb, make an indentation in the center of each cookie.


Bake cookies for 10 minutes or until edges are firm. If the centers puff back up during baking, push back in with your thumb again. Spoon melted caramel into the indentations of the cookies. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.


In another saucepan, heat and stir chocolate chips and shortening over low heat until they are melted and smooth. Let cool slightly. Drizzle chocolate over the tops of the cookies. Let stand until chocolate is set.


Done!