Salted Caramel & Pecan Thumbprints are a rich cookie rolled in pecans and filled with a decadent salted caramel frosting for a sweet dessert that is perfect for the holidays!
 The holidays are coming at us fast and furious. I was in JoAnn Fabrics the other day and they had ROWS of Christmas decorations and ornaments. While part of it blows my mind and I’m not quite ready for it, the other part of me is excited that summer is ending and the season of holidays is upon us! I can’t wait to get started on my Christmas cookie baking and this year I started with Salted Caramel & Pecan Thumbprint Cookies!
SALTED CARAMEL & PECAN THUMBPRINT COOKIES
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If you are looking for a great dessert to bring to that office party or holiday get-together, these thumbprint cookies are it! The cookies are dense but moist and the pecans they are rolled in are nice and toasted for added flavor and crunch. They remind me of a Pecan Pie Recipe. As for the salted caramel frosting, that I could basically eat by the spoonful, but I refrained for the most part and enjoyed it with the cookies for the perfect balance of sweetness.
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Want more easy Christmas cookie recipes?
- Soft Chewy Gingersnap Cookies
- Peppermint Shortbread Cookies
- Santa Claus Cookies
- Chocolate Snowballs
- Buttered Rum Snickerdoodles
- Peppermint Patty Stuffed Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- More dessert recipes…
Tool used to make this Salted Caramel & Pecan Thumbprint Cookies recipe
Stand Mixer:Â I don’t know what I’d do without my stand mixer. I use it for just about everything…and I mean everything! Cakes, cookies, mashed potatoes, and shredding chicken!
Silicone Baking Mat:Â I use a silicone mat on my baking sheet practically everytime I bake. The mat makes for easy cleanup and my foods don’t stick to the pan.
Baking Sheet:Â A nice big baking sheet is a must have for any kitchen. This half pan sheet is large than a regular cookie and works great for anything you’re baking.
Cookie Scoop:Â Cookie scoops are my favorite way to portion dough and batter when I’m baking. This set has 3 different sizes so I get the right amount in each scoop.
Rubber Spatula:Â Rubber spatulas are one of those kitchen tools you don’t realize how much you use until they’re all dirty. This set of three spatulas in various sizes and shapes will make cooking everything from dinner to dessert a breeze.
Double Boiler: Growing up we’d just set a bowl over boiling water, but having an actual double boiler is SO great when I’m making lots of treats to share with friends and family!
Ingredients
Cookies
- ¼ c. shortening
- ¼ c. butter or margarine
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- ¼ c. brown sugar
- 1 c. all purpose flour
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 egg separated
- ¾ c. chopped pecans
Frosting
- 2/3 c. caramels melted
- 1/3 c. whipping cream
- 2 c. powdered sugar
- ½ tsp. vanilla
- ¼ tsp. sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°. In a medium bowl, mix shortening, butter, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla until smooth. Blend flour and salt into the mixture. Roll into one inch balls, dip balls into slightly beaten egg white, then roll into chopped pecans. Arrange on a lined cookie sheet and indent the middle of each cookie gently with your thumb. Bake at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes. Immediately upon removing the cookies from the oven, use your thumb to reinforce the indent in each cookie. Allow to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, melt the caramels in the microwave or over a double boiler. Mix the caramels with the whipping cream, powdered sugar, vanilla and sea salt. Mix until smooth.
- Top each thumbprint with icing and store in an airtight container.
- Freeze any extras the same day for the freshest cookies.
- *Recipe doubles and triples well for larger batches.
Video
Nutrition
More delicious holiday treats!
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Julie says
I would like to know if replacing shortening with butter would make a difference in the cookie texture?
Danielle G says
You can replace the shortening with butter, but it will make a slight difference. Shortening results in a softer cookie and butter will also make the cookies spread a bit more.
Betty Clayton says
Thanks
Alicia says
What kind of caramels do you use?
Danielle G says
You can use any sort of pre-packaged caramels unwrapped!
Kelly says
The recipe needs whipping cream is that the liquid or whipped cream, sorry I’m not used to baking and I want to get it right, thanks.
Julie @Real Housemoms says
It’s liquid whipping cream (also called heavy cream or heavy whipping cream). 🙂
anna smith says
Hi there, how many caramels did it take to make the 2/3 cup?
Thanks.
Teri says
I want to make 5 dozen of these for a cookie swap. 5 eggs seems like too much. Do you think it will work if I just multiply each measurement by 5?
Julie @Real Housemoms says
Hi Teri! If you’re making 5 dozen, yes, you will need to multiply all of the measurements by five as this recipe makes 1 dozen cookies.
Five eggs isn’t unheard of for 5 dozen cookies. 🙂 Most cookies recipes I make use 2 eggs for 2-3 dozen cookies. You should be totally fine.
cathi says
For the 1/4 tsp of sea salt is it course or ground?
Aubrey Cota says
Coarse ground sea salt works the best, it’s what really turns into that classic salted caramel flavor. Happy baking!
Deborah Garland says
Does the Carmel firm up for storing/stacking? thanks
Aubrey Cota says
You’re safe if you layer a piece of parchment paper between each stack just in case.
sylvia leblanc says
do you melt the caramels first then add the remaining ingredients
Aubrey Cota says
This is from the instructions list: 2. Meanwhile, melt the caramels in the microwave or over a double boiler. Mix the caramel with the whipping cream, powdered sugar, vanilla and sea salt. Mix until smooth.
So yeah melt first then mix in the ingredients.