Chocolate Caramel Thumbprints
Most thumbprints are butter cookies with an indentation made with the poke of a thumb, which is how the cookie got its name that is filled with jam. Although there’s nothing wrong with that, a jazzier version for the holidays, something chocolate is more fun to make and scrumptious to eat. Here, the cookie is chocolate, the well is filled with chewy caramel and a drizzle of dark chocolate tops it off. Jazzy, indeed
METHOD:
WHISK together the flour, cocoa, and salt in a medium bowl.
USING an electric mixer, beat the butter in a large bowl until creamy. Add the sugar and beat well until fluffy. Beat in the whole egg and the egg yolk. Mix in the vanilla. With the beaters on low speed, mix in the flour mixture until incorporated and the dough comes together. Gather the dough into a ball, then divide the mixture in half. Wrap each half separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
PREHEAT the oven to 350° F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
WORKING with one half of the dough at a time, leaving the remainder in the refrigerator, roll it into 1 inch balls, arranging them about 2 inches apart on the prepared sheets. Make an indentation in the center of each ball using the handle end of a wooden spoon or use your thumb or your knuckle, being careful not to go all the way through the dough.
BAKE for about 13 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and from front to back about halfway through baking, or until the cookies feel just slightly firm. Transfer the cookies to a rack and immediately depress the centers of the cookies again using the handle end of a wooden spoon to reinforce and widen the indentation to about 1/4 inch in diameter. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool completely.
FOR THE CARAMEL FILLING: Heat the caramels and cream in a medium saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring often, until the caramels are melted and the mixture is smooth, about 5 minutes. Using the smallest, pointiest spoon you have, such as a demitasse spoon, spoon the caramel into the indentations in the cookies, filling just up to the rim. If the caramel becomes too thick, place the saucepan back over low heat for a few seconds. Let the caramel set before drizzling the cookies with chocolate.
FOR THE CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE: Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave for 20 – 30 second intervals on medium power, stirring after each interval, until melted and smooth. Let cool at room temperature for a few minutes. Place the cookies close together but not touching, on racks set over wax paper. Pour the chocolate into a small plastic bag or squeeze bottle. Seal the bag and make a tiny cut in the corner. Working quickly, drizzle the chocolate in a zigzag pattern over the cookies. Let the chocolate set completely before storing the cookies.
STORE: layered between sheets of wax paper, in an airtight container for up to 4 days; or refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons ( 2 sticks ) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
CARAMEL FILLING:
20 caramels ( about 5 1/2 ounces) such as Kraft candies, unwrapped
1/2 cup heavy ( or whipping ) cream
CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE:
4 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
13 minutes
50
