Caramel Thumbprint Cookies

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.

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.

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.

In a small saucepan over low heat, combine caramels and whipping cream. Melt caramels until sauce is smooth, about 10 minutes.

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.