Chocolate-Caramel Thumbprints

By Debbie54

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• ½ cup butter, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 16 vanilla caramels, unwrapped
• 3 Tbsp whipping cream
• 1 ¼ cups finely chopped pecans
• ½ cup semisweet chocolate pieces
• 1 tsp shortening

Details

Servings 36

Preparation

Step 1

1)Separate egg. Cover and chill egg white until needed. Set yolk aside.

2)In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and beat well. Beat in the egg yolk, milk, and vanilla until combined.

3)In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture; beat until well mixed. Cover and chill about 2 hours or until dough is easy to handle.

4)Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease cookie sheets; set aside. In a small saucepan, combine caramels and whipping cream; heat and stir over low heat until mixture is smooth. Set aside.

5)In a shallow dish, beat the egg white. Place pecans in another shallow dish. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in egg white; roll in nuts to coat. Place balls 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets. Using your thumb, make an indentation in the center of each ball.

6)Bake about 10 minutes or until edges are firm. Spoon some of the melted caramel mixture into indentation of each cookie. (If necessary, reheat mixture to keep it spoonable.) Transfer cookies to wire racks; cool.

7)In another small saucepan, combine chocolate pieces and shortening. Heat and stir over low heat until chocolate is melted. Let cool slightly. Spoon chocolate mixture into a heavy ressealable plastic bag. Seal bag. Snip a small corner off bag. Drizzle chocolate mixture over cookies. Let stand until chocolate is set.