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
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat liner.
Stir together flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
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.
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.
Bake 10 minutes, just until cookies are set. Cool on a wire rack.
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.
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.*
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/