Chocolate Caramel Treasures     From The Cookie Party Cookbook: The Ultimate Guide to Hosting a Cookie Exchange St. Martin's Press/Macmillan by Robin Olson (www.cookie-exchange.com) What is not to like with this Cookie Exchange showstopper? A chocolate thumbprint cookie rolled in nuts, with a gooey caramel center and then drizzled with chocolate.

Plain Text Printable Version

Dough
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg, separated
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour cup
Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup finely chopped hazelnuts (or other nuts)

Caramel Filling
10 (1 × ½-inch) plain caramels
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Chocolate Drizzle
3 ounces fine-quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), finely chopped

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, egg yolk, milk, and vanilla until well blended. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, and salt.

Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and beat on low speed until it forms a dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and chill until firm, at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Lightly grease the baking sheets. Lightly beat the egg white.

Roll scant tablespoonfuls of dough into balls and coat with egg white, letting the excess drip off, then roll in the nuts to coat. Arrange the balls, as you coat them, 1½ inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Press your thumb into the center of each ball to flatten, leaving an indentation.

Bake the cookies, in batches, in the middle of the oven until they have puffed slightly but the centers are still soft, 10 to 12 minutes.

Remove from oven and immediately press the centers of cookies again (I use the handle end of a wooden spoon).

Transfer to wire racks to cool. Meanwhile, make the filling.

Heat the caramels and cream in a small saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted and the mixture is smooth. Spoon about ½ teaspoon of the caramel filling into the center of each cookie and cool completely.

One hour before serving, make the chocolate drizzle. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or a double boiler, stirring until smooth. Cool to warm and pour into a heavy-duty sealable plastic bag. Seal the bag and make a small snip in one corner to form a small hole.

Drizzle the chocolate over the cookies and let stand until set, about 30 minutes.   Makes about 2½ dozen cookies