Today’s cookie might be a bit controversial. It involves coconut and I have found that people either love coconut or hate it. There doesn’t seem to be an in-between. Sometimes it’s the flavor that is off-putting, other times it’s the texture and then there are those times where it’s a combination of both. But if you are a fan of coconut then today’s cookie is for you, it’s a Coconut Caramel Thumbprint. And if you aren’t a fan, I have included steps on how you can still make these delicious cookies without the addition of coconut.
I’ll start off by saying that these cookies do require a few steps. The dough needs to be made and then refrigerated for about 30 minutes. If not, the cookies will spread too much while baking and instead of a thumbprint cookie you’ll end up with a flat cookie. Once the cookies are cooled, they are filled with caramel sauce. Instead of making it from scratch though I used caramels that I melted along with heavy cream. And finally, once the caramel has set, the cookies are drizzled with white chocolate. Now, the final step of white chocolate can be omitted if you’re not a fan or you’re concerned they might be too sweet.
Now, if coconut is not your thing you can easily alter these cookies to make your taste buds happy. Simply omit the coconut extract and the shredded coconut and you will end up with is a buttery cookie with a caramel filling.
Coconut Caramel Thumbprints
Ingredients:
For the Cookies:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 egg, separated, plus 1 additional egg white
3 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 cups sweetened shredded coconut, finely chopped (or pulsed a few times in a food processor)
For the Caramel Filling:
11 oz. bag caramels*
6 tablespoons heavy cream
For the White Chocolate Drizzle:
1 cup white chocolate chips
4 teaspoons shortening
*I used Kraft caramels.
Directions:
For the Cookies:
Add the butter and both sugars to a large bowl and beat with a hand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla & coconut extracts and the egg yolk.
In a medium bowl whisk together the flour and salt and then add to the butter mixture and beat until well combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a small bowl whisk together the egg whites. In another bowl add the chopped shredded coconut.
Scoop the dough – using a 1 1/2 tbsp cookie scoop – and then roll into a ball. Dip the ball in the egg white and then coat with the shredded coconut and place on the prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart. Use the back of a teaspoon to make an indent in the center of each.
Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, remove from the oven and re-press the indentation. Return to the oven for an additional 9-10 minutes, or until the cookies are golden.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
For the Caramel Filling:
In a small saucepan add the caramels and heavy cream and cook on medium-low heat until melted and smooth. Stirring occasionally. Spoon the caramel into the cookies and let cool.
For the White Chocolate Drizzle:
In a small saucepan combine the chocolate chips and shortening and melt on low heat. Stirring until smooth. Let cool for a few minutes before transferring to a piping bag (or small resealable bag). Snip a small piece of the end and drizzle the chocolate over each cookie. Let sit for a few minutes so the chocolate can harden (or refrigerate for 10 – 15 minutes to speed up the process).
Notes:
If you like the flavor of coconut but not so much shredded coconut, you could skip rolling the dough in the shredded coconut. This will mean that you will not need the 2 egg whites listed in the ingredients. All other steps in the recipe remain the same.
If you are not a fan of coconut at all you could omit the coconut extract and shredded coconut and simply make butter cookies with a caramel filling and white chocolate drizzle. This will also mean you will not need the two egg whites as they are only used to help adhere the shredded coconut to the dough.
Recipe first appeared on Bead Yarn & Spatula
Bead Yarn & Spatula 