Chocolate Caramel Butter Cookies

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5 from 1 vote

Made with a rich chocolate cookie dough, then filled with caramel, they are indulgently delicious.

Course Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 14

Chilling 1

Total Time 1 29

Servings 20 cookies

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

▢ ½ cup unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
▢ ½ cup white granulated sugar
▢ 3 oz dark chocolate melted See note 1
▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
▢ 1 egg yolk
▢ 1 cup all purpose OR cake flour
▢ ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder sifted
▢ 1 cup caramel (dulce de leche) see note 2

Instructions

Beat the butter and sugar for 2 minutes or until pale and creamy. Add the vanilla, egg yolk and melted chocolate and beat until combined.
Add the flour and cocoa powder.
Mix with a spatula or your hands until combined and mixture forms a ball.
Roll tablespoons of mixture into balls and use the back of a rounded teaspoon or your thumb to press in the center of each ball. See note 3
Transfer shaped dough balls to prepared baking sheets, then refrigerate for one hour. see note 4
Bake in a preheated oven of 180°C/350°F (160°C fan forced) for 12 to 14 minutes.
Immediately after baking, re-press indentation into each cookie with the back of a rounded spoon. See note 5
Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 20 minutes.
Transfer the canned caramel (dulce de leche) into a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 30 seconds then whisk until smooth. Using a spoon or piping bag, divide the caramel between cookies. See note 6

Storage

At room temperature: Store in an airtight container in a single layer for up to 1 week.
In the fridge: Store in an airtight container in a single layer for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

1.Melted chocolate: You can melt chocolate chips, or a roughly chopped block of baking chocolate.Use a dry bowl and spoon to melt and stir the chocolate either in the microwave or on the stovetop. To melt the chocolate on the stovetop place the chocolate in a small dry heatproof bowl and set over a pot of just simmering water. The bottom of the bowl should not touch the water. Make sure that the bowl sits tightly in the pot to avoid getting steam in your melting chocolate. Stir until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly for 5–10 minutes. To melt chocolate in the microwave: Place the chocolate in a dry microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 4 to 5 minutes, checking and stirring with a dry spoon after each minute.

2. Caramel (dulce de leche): For this recipe, I simply used store bought caramel (dulce de leche). It's a quick convenient take on homemade caramel. It comes in cans and is readily available at most supermarkets (look in baking aisle by the sweetened condensed milk). You can also make your own if you have the time. However, do not substitute caramel sauce here as it is much too thin.

3. Shaping: Don’t press too deep or the cookies might crack. And if they do crack, that is ok, just pinch the cracks back together so the filling won’t escape). It also helps to flatten the dough ball it slightly with the ball of your hand before making the indentation in the middle

4. Refrigerate shaped dough: This prevents the dough from spreading while baking ensuring that the cookies keep their shape.

5. Re-make the indents immediately after baking. The cookies will puff up while baking. In order to ensure there is enough of a well to hold the caramel, you’ll want to use the teaspoon to press down the center of the cookies immediately after taking them from the oven, before they have a chance to cool. Soften the caramel:

6. Dulce de leche or canned caramel is quite firm straight out of the can. You want it softer and easier to spoon or pipe into the baked cookies. To get it to a workable consistency, transfer the canned caramel (dulce de leche) into a microwave safe bowl. Heat for between 20 to 30 seconds then whisk until smooth. Using a spoon or piping bag, divide the caramel between cookies

Nutrition

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