Honey Caramel Thumbprints
Barabara Estabrook’s Honey Caramel Thumbprints was a runner-up recipe in our Sweet Eats Holiday Recipe Contest! Make a batch for your next holiday cookie exchange or set some out for friends and family to enjoy while visiting during the holidays.
Ingredients
Honey Caramel
- 1/3 cup Sue Bee® Clover Honey
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries
Cookies
- 1/2 teaspoon Sue Bee® Clover Honey
- 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup chopped quality white chocolate baking bar
Directions
For the caramel
- In a heavy medium saucepan melt butter over low heat then stir in Sue Bee® honey, brown sugar and condensed milk. Increase heat to medium heat and cook, stirring until mixture begins to bubble.
- Continue to cook, stirring constantly until caramel reaches 240 F when tested with a candy thermometer or until thickened – about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla then pour caramel into a medium bowl.
- Cool 30 minutes then stir in cranberries and set aside.
- Heat oven to 350 F.
- Line three large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
For the cookies
- In a mixing bowl, beat butter until fluffy, using an electric mixer.
- Add confectioners sugar and extract; beat on medium speed 3 minutes, scraping down bowl and beaters.
- Whisk flour and salt together then add to butter mixture in two additions, beating on low until a soft dough forms. Stir in nuts until evenly distributed.
- Form 42 to 44 dough balls each about 1-1/4 inches in diameter and place 2 inches apart on lined sheets. Using your thumb, make an indentation in center of each ball.
- Bake cookies, one sheet at a time, 18 minutes or until edges are golden, rotating sheets front to back half-way through baking time. Cool cookies completely on cookie sheets then fill each thumbprint with about 1 teaspoon honey caramel.
- Place white chocolate in a small dish set over a pan of simmering water (water not touching pan) and let soften. Stir until smooth then remove from over water and stir in the Sue Bee® honey. Drizzle chocolate over cookies.
