Turtle Thumbprints

These are the cookies that inspired the Vanilla Nut Caramels.  They are a nice combination of caramel and chocolate.  Despite the caramel and chocolate drizzle, they are not super sweet.  At first you taste the chocolate cookie, and then it dissolves away and you're left with a nice, chewy caramel center.  Is there anything better than a caramel center?  Wait, don't answer that!

P.S. Do you like this plate too?  My god-daughter, Renee, gave it to me, and it is definitely my other favorite holiday plate!! 

Notes:
Keep in mind that these cookies will continue to cook on the hot pan while you load them with caramel and again when you pop them back in the oven to melt the caramel.  Therefore, I recommend keeping a close eye on them so you don't run the risk of over baking them.  If you aren't up for making caramels, don't worry!  You can still make these; just buy some of your favorite yummy-tasting caramels, and use them instead.  Also, if you don't have black cocoa powder, just use all regular cocoa powder. 

Does this recipe sound familiar?  It is another variation of my Aunt Mary's recipe (as included in the Whitehall Green Thumbers Garden Club 1989 cookie fundraiser book).

Cookie Ingredients:
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cocoa powder
4 tablespoons black cocoa powder
½ teaspoon espresso powder
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

Topping Ingredients:
¼ -½ batch of vanilla nut caramels (it depends on how caramely you want them to be; or about 24 or so regular-sized caramels, cut in half)
¼ cup dark or bittersweet chocolate chunks or chips

Yields about 3-4 dozen cookies, depending on the size

Sift, Cream, Shape, Bake, Top, Bake:
Cut the caramels into thumb-sized pieces (think a little less than half of a normal-sized caramel square).  Adjust the oven racks to the upper and lower thirds of the oven, and preheat it to 375ºF.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat mats, and set them aside.  In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powders, and espresso powder, and set aside.  In a separate medium-sized bowl, cream the butter.  Slowly add the sugar, and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.  Add the vanilla extract and then the flour mixture in thirds.  Scoop out a tablespoon's worth of dough, and roll it until into a ball.  Repeating until all of the dough is shaped into balls, place them on the prepared cookie sheets, and indent each with your thumb of the round, flat end of a wooden spoon.  Bake the cookies for 7-8 minutes, or until they are set (but not over baked), rotating the sheets halfway through.  Remove the cookies from the oven, and use the round, flat end of a wooden spoon (clean of course!) to deepen the indent.  Place a piece of caramel in each indentation.  Return the sheet to the oven for a little under a minute to melt the caramel.  Immediately transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.  Once the cookies are cool, melt the chocolate in a small pan.  Allow the chocolate to cool a little bit, and then transfer it to a Ziplock or a piping bag.  Trim a small amount off one corner of the bag, and drizzle the chocolate over the top of the cookies.  Once the chocolate sets, store the cookies at room temperature in an airtight container. Pin It