Caramel Thumbprint Cookies are simply to die for! These melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookies are rolled in chopped pecans and topped with creamy salted caramel sauce and a chocolate drizzle! They will look gorgeous on your cookie tray this holiday season!
You absolutely need to make these pecan thumbprint cookies this year! I can’t get over the combination of creamy caramel, salty pecans, and smooth chocolate. I would LOVE receiving these as a gift. So I know you could make a batch for your friends and family, and they will LOVE you for it!
SAVE THIS RECIPE FOR SALTED CARAMEL THUMBPRINTS TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD!
Of course, you can make these pecan thumbprints any time of the year. I think the flavors scream fall, but honestly, I’ll eat anything with caramel all year long!
Ingredients for Caramel Thumbprints
Gather together these ingredients to make delicious caramel thumbprint cookies:
- All-purpose flour
- Kosher salt
- Butter (room temperature)
- Granulated white sugar
- Light brown sugar
- A large egg (separated)
- Pure vanilla extract
- Chopped pecans
Topping Ingredients
- Kraft caramels, unwrapped
- Heavy whipping cream
- Coarse sea salt
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips (you can also use milk chocolate or dark chocolate chips)
All the exact amounts needed are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
How to make Salted Caramel Thumbprint Cookies
First, let’s make and bake the cookie dough.
- Toast your pecans, then chop them. (See below for toasting instructions!)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two cookie sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour and salt; set aside.
- In a mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Then add brown sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla. Beat until just combined.
- Next, gradually add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. If it is over-mixed, the dough will become sticky.
- Shape dough into 1-inch balls, using a #60 cookie scoop, and place them on a plate to refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, beat the egg white on medium speed until it is white and frothy.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator, and roll one ball in the egg white and then in the nuts. Place the cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheet.
- Using the back of a teaspoon, place an indentation into each ball.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes. Once out of the oven, and while cookies are still on the cookie sheet, indent the center of each cookie again with the back of a teaspoon. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Next, Make the Caramel Sauce
It’s easy to make this caramel filling and doesn’t take long at all! In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the unwrapped caramels and whipping cream. Melt caramels, stirring occasionally, until sauce is smooth, about 10 minutes.
Now comes the Chocolate Drizzle
In a small bowl, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave for 15 -30 seconds. Remove to stir and microwave for another 10 seconds. Repeat stirring and melting for 10 seconds until completely smooth.
Finish the Cookies!
- Fill each cookie indentation with caramel using a small spoon. Sprinkle the caramel with a little bit of sea salt.
- Finally, pour the melted chocolate into one corner of a resealable sandwich bag and cut a very small piece off the opposite side to pipe the drizzle onto the cookie. You can also use a piping bag with a Wilton #1 piping tip. Allow the chocolate to set before serving the cookies.
FAQs
How do you toast pecans?
It’s best to toast your pecans when they are whole. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 325 degrees F for about 8-10 minutes. I wouldn’t suggest toasting them any longer than that because they will toast more while they bake and you don’t want burnt pecans on your beautiful cookies.
Why should I toast my pecans?
This step is optional, but toasting your pecans really elevates their flavor! It brings their natural oils to the surface and improves the flavor and texture.
How do I store Caramel Thumbprint Cookies?
Store your baked thumbprint cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. You don’t need to refrigerate these cookies. They should last for up to a week!
Can I freeze these cookies?
Yes, you can freeze these in an airtight container for up to a month. I recommend freezing them after you bake them but before you add the caramel and chocolate, though you can freeze them either way.
More Thumbprint Cookie Recipes
If you like these fun cookies, try one of these varieties next time:
- Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
- Chocolate Cherry Thumbprint Cookies
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprints
- Strawberry Lime Thumbprint Cookies
Which one will you make first?
When I was doing my original 365 Days of Baking, I rated everything I baked on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and these Salted Caramel Thumbprints earned 3 1/2 rolling pins. They are pretty darn close to a 4 though. These were just the BOMB!
FOLLOW ME
FACEBOOK ~ PINTEREST
INSTAGRAM ~ TWITTER
YOUTUBE
Keep an eye out for more of my easy recipes each week!
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from 365 Days of Baking and More.
I found these many years ago on Naomi’s blog, Bakers Royale. Thank you so much, Naomi, for this wonderful recipe!
Caramel Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup butter room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg separated
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup chopped pecans toasted – optional and directions below.
- 20 individual soft caramels unwrapped (I use Kraft)
- 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Toast Pecans
- Place pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 325°F for about 8-10 minutes. I wouldn't suggest toasting them any longer than that because they will toast more while they bake and you don't want burnt pecans on your beautiful cookies. I also suggest chopping them into very small pieces after they've been roasted as I've had trouble with the larger pieces sticking and staying on the cookie.
Cookies
- Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Prepare two cookie sheets by lining them with parchment.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour and salt; set aside.
- In a mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.Add brown sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla.Beat until just combined.
- Gradually add flour and mix until just combined. If it is over mixed, the dough will become sticky.
- Using a #60 cookie scoop, roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place on a plate to refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- While dough is refrigerating, beat egg white until it is white and frothy.
Assembly
- Remove dough from refrigerator, and roll one ball in the egg white and then in nuts.
- Place on prepared baking sheet, and repeat with remaining dough.
- Using the back of a teaspoon, place an indentation into each ball.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes. Once out of the oven, and while cookies are still on cookie sheet, indent again with back of teaspoon. Transfer to wire baking sheet and allow to cool.
Caramel
- In a small saucepan over low heat, combine caramels and whipping cream. Melt caramels until sauce is smooth, about 10 minutes.
Chocolate Drizzla
- In a small bowl, melt chocolate chips in the microwave for 15 seconds. Remove to stir and microwave for another 10 seconds. Repeat stirring and melting for 10 seconds until completely smooth.
- Fill each cookie indentation with caramel. Sprinkle the caramel with a little bit of sea salt.
- Place melted chocolate into a one corner of a resealable sandwich bag, and cut a very small piece off the opposite side to pipe the drizzle onto the cookie. You can also use a piping bag with a Wilton #1 piping tip. For reference, for the cookies in the older pictures below the recipe card, I used the piping bag and tip, and for the cookies in the most recent pictures, I used a Ziploc bag. I thought the older ones were prettier, but a sandwich bag works just as well.
- Allow chocolate to set before serving.
Nutrition
This post was Day 283 of my original 365 Days of Baking and was Day 10 of our first 12 Days of Cookies. It was published on December 8, 2011. It has been updated in format and with pictures on November 1, 2024.
Comments & Reviews
The Bomb is fine by me but I’m 41. These look scrumptious and beautiful and would be perfect for any party tray and totally worthy of the calories!
Oh! Not only do I have a fond weakness for thumbprint cookies, but salted caramel anything is my newfound obsession. This is a win win WIN! LOL Thank u for baking first and sharing! I so <3 ur blog. :-)
Doreen at whereisyourhappyplace.blogspot.com
I love thumbprint cookies and anything salted caramel is is my me obsession, so these cookies are a win win WIN for me! Thank u for sharing! I <3 u and ur blog so! :-)
Doreen at whereisyourhappyplace.blogspot.com
It is so wrong of you to share something so delicious first thing in the morning. Now I want these cookies for breakfast! These will be on my baking list for the holidays, for a few special people, those deserving of such decadent cookies! Top on that list….ME! Pinned.
I just made these and they are very good! I used 6 ounces of homemade caramel melted with 3 Tablespoons of heavy cream as directed and it came out perfectly. (I was able to find the weight of 20 Kraft caramels on a website. It’s approximately 5.92 ounces.) I’m an obsessive baker and would call myself picky, these are definitely going to be made multiple times. Thank you Lynne! Happy Saturday!
Marina, I am SO glad you took the time to leave me a comment and even happier that you enjoyed them so much!! Thank you! I would like to add the weight of the caramels to the post with your permission.
You are so very welcome and I hope you continue to enjoy the recipes here at 365.
Happy Monday! 😉
Oh- yes, of course! I’m sorry I didn’t see this sooner.
I most certainly am- it’s keeping me company while I’m under the weather and want to bake! Thanks Lynne!
Thanks, Marina! 🙂
OMG! These look so good! Can’t wait to try them ! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you and you’re welcome, Lisa! Enjoy them!
How do you store these cookies? They look so good, I’m sure if allowed they would not last long enough to store. But I wanted to bake and take on a camping trip.
Thanks for your question, Pam. I would store them in an airtight container and place layers of parchment between them so they aren’t sitting directly on top of each other.
Enjoy them and happy camping!
Hi,
I’d like to know how far in advance I can make these before a party? How well do they freeze?
Thank You!
Irene, sorry about the delayed response. I haven’t frozen them, so I’m not exactly sure. And you would definitely be able to make them at least a few days before a party, just store them in an airtight container. 🙂
These look amazing and I can’t wait to make them with my brand new mixer. Question: I have friends with nut allergies, what can I substitute for the pecans?
Staci, they don’t have to be made with the pecans. You can just leave them off. For substitutions, how about trying some toasted coconut? That would add some great flavor to them as well.
Hi, Could these be frozen?
Thanks
Judi, I have not frozen them, so I can’t say for sure. My only concern would be that the caramel might change. Let me know if you do freeze them, Judi!
There is no problem freezing caramel. I make cookies with caramel filling and have frozen them for many, many years. In fact, I have yet to find a cookie that you cannot freeze. All my cookies are frozen before served as I do them several weeks ahead. I will be adding these to my baking list this year. Yum!
Thanks for letting me know, Peggy!
the cookies look very delicious. does the caramel become hard or stay kinda chewy. can the cookies be stacked or stored in a single layer. btw. thank you for your suggestion to use toasted coconut instead of pecans cuz my grandkids are allergic to nuts.
Elsa, the caramel stayed slightly chewy and after the chocolate and caramel are set, they can be stacked. I would place some wax paper or parchment between the layers as well.
I haven’t tried them with the coconut, but I think they’d be super yummy!
Do you have a printable version of this?
Nancy,
if you go here: http://www.printfriendly.com/
you can copy and paste the url of the specific recipe you want to print and also choose to print it without images.
I’ve been trying to convert all my recipes to print version, but it’s a slow process since there are over 600.
Hi, do you use all purpose flour / plain flour?
Esther, I always use all-purpose flour in my recipes unless I specify otherwise.
Hai. May i know how long can i keep cookies in airtight container at room temperature?
Shakila, I would suggest four days maximum.