Caramel Latte Thumbprint Cookies

These dreamy caramel latte thumbprint cookies are perfectly soft, thick and filled with coffee flavor. With gooey caramel and finished with a touch of sea salt, they are perfect for holiday cookie trays! Vegetarian.

A white plate with three Caramel Latte Thumbprint Cookies.

Note: This recipe is NOT dairy free. It was published before Cook Nourish Bliss transitioned to dairy free recipes and remains popular with long time readers. You can try using substitutions to make it dairy free, however I have not tested this myself and can’t say how it will turn out.

Cookies.  Cookies everywhere.  Our holiday party was this past weekend and I pretty much baked up a storm.  

While our friends did manage to eat an impressive amount of sweets, we still wound up with quite a bit leftover.

Since I tend to take things a little too far and got a little too excited about all the baking and hence went a little overboard. 

And now there are still cookies everywhere.

Somebody come save me.  Or my hips.  Come save my hips and take away the cookies.  Please?

Caramel Thumbprint Cookies on a plate with coffee to the side.

But really, let’s be honest.  I don’t want you to take away the cookies.  I’ll just workout instead.  That will save my hips.

Because I need a few more bites of these caramel latte thumbprint cookies.  

I made these a while back but wanted to test them one more time before sharing them here on the blog.  Do you see what I do for you?  Eat way too many cookies, that’s what.

And force-feed them to my friends.  All in the name of quality control, right?  I don’t think they minded eating these though.  

A thick cream cheese cookie stuffed with a bit of espresso powder to give it that coffee flavor.  And then filled with gooey caramel and topped off with a little sea salt for that sweet and salty goodness.

No, I don’t think they minded one little bit.

A baking sheet with Salted Caramel Thumbprint Cookies with a bite taken out of one.

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Did you make this recipe? Rate and review it down below! I’d love to hear from you.

Caramel Latte Thumbprint Cookies | Cookie Monster Cooking

Caramel Latte Thumbprint Cookies

Yield: about 27 cookies
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Additional Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

These dreamy caramel latte thumbprint cookies are perfectly soft, thick and filled with coffee flavor. With gooey caramel and finished with a touch of sea salt, they are perfect for holiday cookie trays! Vegetarian.

Ingredients

For the cookies:

  • 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
  • Β½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • Β½ cup granulated sugar
  • Β½ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 ΒΌ cups all-purpose flour
  • Β½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon espresso powder*
  • ΒΌ teaspoon salt

For the filling:

  • 6 ounces caramel candies, unwrapped
  • 3 tablespoons heavy cream
  • flaky sea salt, for sprinkling

Instructions

To make the cookies:

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the cream cheese and butter. Beat on medium speed for about 1 minute, until well blended. Add in the granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Beat again on medium speed until light and well-combined, about 2 minutes.
  2. Add in the flour, baking powder, espresso powder and salt. Mix on low until just combined.
  3. Transfer the bowl to the refrigerator and chill for 1 hour.
  4. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  5. Shape the chilled dough into 1-inch balls (a heaping tablespoon or so of dough). Place on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
  6. Use your thumb (or a wine cork works really well) to make a deep indentation in the center of each cookie.
  7. Bake for 13 to 16 minutes, until lightly golden brown and set. If needed, as soon as the cookies come out of the oven, use a small spoon (or the wine cork again) to reinforce the well in the center of each cookie.
  8. Let the cookies cool for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before filling.

To make the filling:

  1. Add the caramels and heavy cream to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until the mixture is smooth. You want the caramel to be easy to spoon into the indentations in the cookies.
  2. Spoon a small amount of caramel into the center of each cookie. Top with a sprinkle of sea salt. If the caramel starts to harden up, microwave for a few seconds and give it a good stir to get it back to the right consistency.

Notes

*Espresso powder is an ingredient you can’t usually find at your regular grocery store. You can buy it online or at specialty stores like Sur La Table, Williams and Sonoma, etc.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 27 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 120Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 56mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 0gSugar: 11gProtein: 1g

Nutrition data shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator and is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered a substitute for a medical professional’s advice.