These caramel thumbprint cookies have a tender, brown butter thumbprint cookie filled with homemade salted caramel and then drizzled with dark chocolate and flaky sea salt!
I highly recommend making the salted caramel the night before the cookies so that it has time to fully cool.
In a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat, add the sugar and stir every 1-2 minutes or so until it begins to melt (the sugar will start to clump up before melting).
Once the sugar is completely melted and smooth (it should be an amber color), immediately remove from the heat and stir in the butter until combined (don’t be scared if it bubbles a lot).
Add in the heavy cream and salt and mix until fully combined and smooth. It won't want to combine at first, but just keep stirring and it will come together.
Pour the caramel into a heavy glass jar to cool to room temperature. Can be stored in the fridge for up to a month!
If you make the caramel the night before, it can sit covered at room temperature overnight so that it's a nice pourable consistency.
Thumbprint Cookies
Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the softened brown butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Then add in the egg and vanilla extract and mix until fully incorporated.
Fold in the flour, almond flour, and salt until just combined. The dough should come together into a ball and still be slightly sticky.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Scoop about 3 tablespoons of dough and roll into balls. I use a size 20 cookie scoop.
Lightly flour the back of a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon and press into your dough balls to flatten them slightly and create a deep divot in the top.
Place the baking sheet in the freezer for a minimum of 20 minutes (or the fridge for 40 minutes) before baking to allow the cookies to firm back up. This ensures the cookies won't spread during baking.
While the cookies are chilling, preheat your oven to 350°F.
Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the edges are set and just starting to brown. Bake on the middle rack of the oven and rotate the pan halfway through baking for the best results.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes, then remove and let them finish cooling on a cooling rack.
Once the cookies are fully cooled to room temperature, fill with about 2 teaspoons of homemade salted caramel. Then return to the fridge for 30 minutes to let the caramel firm up.
Melt the dark chocolate and let cool slightly. Then transfer to a piping bag (or small plastic bag) and cut the tip off to make a small hole. Then drizzle the melted dark chocolate over the caramel thumbprint cookies and sprinkle with extra flaky sea salt!
Notes
To make brown butter, melt unsalted butter over medium heat, stirring frequently. Watch closely for the butter to develop brown specs and a nutty aroma. Once you start seeing brown specs, let cook for just a few seconds longer (watch very carefully or it will burn). Remove from the heat and pour into a small bowl so that it doesn't continue to cook. Set aside and let cool for about 20 minutes in the fridge until soft and pliable. Note: For every ½ cup (1 stick or 113g), you'll lose about 1 tablespoon (14g) to evaporation while cooking. So you can either add in an extra 1 tablespoon before browning, or if you're browning big batches, just make up the weight difference in your recipe with regular unsalted butter if needed.