If you’re into fall baking, these are the perfect cookies for you! They hit that sweet spot between cozy and indulgent. A soft, chocolate thumbprint base holds a rich salted caramel filling loaded with toasted pecans for the perfect crunch. For the best flavor, toast your pecans until they’re just fragrant. This is a key step, so don’t skip it! —Hetal Vasavada, San Francisco, California
Ingredients
- thumbprint cookies:
- 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/3 cup baking cocoa
- caramel:
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
- 3 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil
- Flaky sea salt, optional
Directions
- In a small bowl, whisk flour and cornstarch together and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add butter and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg, vanilla and salt. Sift in cocoa powder. Mix until well combined. Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Cover and chill dough for 30 minutes in the freezer, or 1 hour in the refrigerator.
- Preheat oven to 350°. Scoop dough by tablespoonfuls, roll into a ball. Place onto parchment-lined baking sheets 1 in. apart. Gently flatten; press a deep indentation in the center of each with the end of a wooden spoon handle. Bake the cookies on the center rack until edges are set, 10-12 minutes. Once the cookies are done, use the back of a wooden spoon to press the indentation down again. Let cool on wire racks.
- Place the chopped pecans on a baking sheet; bake until golden brown and fragrant, about 10 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- Meanwhile, make the caramel. Add sugar to a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir with a whisk until all the sugar has melted and turns a golden amber color. Add butter; whisk well. Remove from heat and add heavy cream, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; whisk until well combined. Add toasted pecans and mix well.
- Spoon the caramel filling into the indentation of each thumbprint cookie.
- Melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwave in 30-second increments until smooth. Pipe or drizzle over cookies. If desired, sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
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