Chocolate Thumbprints with Bourbon Caramel and Sea Salt
 
 
slightly adapted from Sunset Magazine
Serves: around 27 cookies
Ingredients
  • 1 cup flour
  • ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • ⅔ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • bourbon caramel sauce:
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-sized chunks
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons bourbon (optional)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • flake salt for sprinkling
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat liner.
  2. Stir together flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg yolk, heavy cream, and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture.
  4. Roll dough into small balls and place 2 inches apart on lined baking sheets. Use your thumb or the rounded end of a thick wooden spoon to make an indentation in the center of each cookie.
  5. Bake 10 minutes, just until cookies are set. Cool on a wire rack.
  6. To make the caramel, spread sugar evenly in a large nonstick skillet. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. The sugar will form clumps, but will melt and turn into a dark amber liquid. As soon as it is liquefied, reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the butter until completely incorporated.
  7. Continue to stir constantly, and drizzle in the cream. Cook 1 minute, stirring. Remove from the heat, pour into a bowl, and stir in the salt and bourbon. Let the caramel cool completely.*
  8. Once the caramel has cooled, spoon it into the thumbprints in each cookie and sprinkle with flake salt.
Notes
*Store extra caramel in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
Recipe by the ringers at https://www.theringers.co/2015/12/chocolate-thumbprints-with-bourbon-caramel-and-sea-salt/