This is the perfect chocolate caramel thumbprint cookie for the holidays. This salted caramel chocolate thumbprint cookies recipe is quick and easy to prepare, they are a delicious and decadent treat with rich butter, chocolatey, and caramel flavor that everyone will love. caramel pecan thumbprint cookies

I absolutely love this salted caramel chocolate thumbprint cookies recipe, I’ve made hundreds of batches of these caramel pecan thumbprint cookies throughout the years and they have become a best seller in my bakery, especially during the Christmas holidays. The great thing about making these is that there made without any baking powder or baking soda, a super simple and clean recipe.

These salted caramel thumbprint cookies with pecans are very easy to make, they’re made with butter, brown sugar, cocoa, vanilla, eggs, flour, caramels, and a few more ingredients that all come together to give you the best salted caramel turtle thumbprint cookies.

Substitutions and Ingredients

Salted Butter: This recipe uses salted butter, if you prefer to use unsalted butter add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the flour.
Brown Sugar: The brown sugar gives these turtle cookies a unique flavor and softer texture. You can substitute with the granulated sugar at a 1:1 ratio. Using half sugar and brown sugar also make also yields beautiful tasty cookies.
Coarse or Flaked Sea Salt: This is the icing on top for these caramel pecan thumbprint cookies, the salt gives these cookies a hint of saltiness, but if you prefer less salty, simply omit this ingredient.

All-Purpose Flour: Need to make a batch of Gluten free salted caramel chocolate thumbprint cookies? Then easily substitute the flour with an all-purpose gluten-free flour.
Milk Chocolate Chips: I love drizzling these chocolate caramel thumbprint cookies with milk chocolate, but you can also use dark chocolate or white chocolate chips.
Pecans: I use pecans for these caramel thumbprint cookies but any chopped nuts will work.

Baking Powder: No baking powder is required to make these salted caramel turtle thumbprint cookies. If you want to achieve thinner less thick and skinny chocolate turtle thumbprint cookies you can add 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder, this will make the cookies spread out more.

Two of my favorite ingredients, chocolate, and caramel, combined together will give you the most amazing chocolate toffee thumbprint cookies. Let’s make a batch of these delicious classic salted caramel turtle thumbprint cookies!

Salted Chocolate Caramel Turtle Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients For Salted Caramel Turtle Thumbprint Cookies

160 grams all-purpose flour (1 1/4 cup)

40 grams cocoa powder (1/4 cup)
120 grams salted butter (1/2 cup), room temperature
50 grams (1 large egg)

150 grams brown sugar (3/4 cup packed)
5 grams vanilla extract (1 teaspoon)
90 grams pecan bits (1 1/2 cups)

200 grams square caramels (20 pieces)
30 grams heavy cream (2 tablespoons)
10 grams flaked salt or coarse salt (2 teaspoons)

80 grams milk chocolate chips (1/2 cup)

How To Make Salted Caramel Turtle Cookies?

Combine the flour and cocoa powder in a medium size bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
Add the butter, and sugar into a bowl and beat using a hand mixer until the mixture is smooth and creamy, and fluffy. Then add the eggs and vanilla and beat to combine.

Add the flour and cocoa mixture and mix just until the cookie dough forms.
Shape the dough into a ball then wrap it in plastic film and refrigerate for one hour.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C), and line a cookie baking tray with parchment paper.

Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator and form dough pieces into 1-inch balls.
Roll each piece into pecan bits coating all sides. Then place them onto a cookie sheet spacing them 2 inches apart.
Using your thumb, create an indentation in the middle of the cookie dough balls.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, the cookies will still be soft as you pull them out of the oven.
Prepare the caramel: Place the caramels and cream into a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 25 seconds. Remove the bowl and give the caramel a stir. Repeat in intervals of 20 seconds until the caramel has completely melted.
Once the caramel is ready, give it a last stir, then fill each of the indentations of the cookies with about a teaspoon of the caramel sauce. Then sprinkle some flaked or coarse sea salt on top.

Add the chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds, give a stir, and heat again for 15 seconds, stir and repeat until the chocolate is melted.
Using a teaspoon, drizzle some chocolate over the turtle cookies.
Place the cookies onto a serving plate.

Enjoy your decadent chocolate caramel thumbprint cookies.

Here are some more delicious cookies recipes you may like to try

Classic Christmas Sugar Cookies Recipe