Craving Girl Scouts cookies but have nobody to order from? No problem – just make your own!
With COVID in full force and the Omicron variant knocking out several of our friends, we haven’t had anybody knocking on doors to sell Girl Scouts cookies. Every year, we order Thin Mints and Samoas. We liked the s’mores kinds when it was available several years ago, but we haven’t seen them lately.
This year, we came home one day and saw something hanging from the doorknob of our front door. I usually expect solicitations and flyers from local businesses, but I was surprised to see that it was from a local Girl Scout.
This young lady was selling for the first time, and she had printed off a flyer that highlighted the cookies on sale. I asked my family if they wanted to purchase any this year, and they declined. Fortunately (or unfortunately), we had a lot of holiday treats in our house and did not need any more. However, one cookie variety caught my eye.
It was a chocolate brownie cookie that had a caramel topping and was drizzled with some chocolate. I can’t remember the name of the cookie, but it looked good. Fully inspired, I went off to make my own version.
My cookie starts with a chocolate thumbprint cookie base. I filled the thumbprint with some homemade caramel and I topped it off with some chocolate drizzle.
While I am bummed that we did not support our local Girl Scout, I was happy that we successfully made our own version at home. This recipe makes 24, so there is enough to share (maybe with your local Girl Scout)!
Husband’s rating: 4.5 out of 5
Addie’s rating: 4.5 out of 5
My rating: 4.5 out of 5
Caramel brownie thumbprint cookies
Ingredients
Cookie dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 and ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- 4 Tablespoons milk of choice
Caramel sauce
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate drizzle
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- 1-2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Instructions
Make the cookie dough
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the egg yolks, one at a time, until well incorporated. Add the milk.
- Turn your mixer to low and slowly add in the dry ingredients. Mix until combined and then turn the mixer to medium high and beat for 1 minute.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Make the caramel sauce
- While the dough is chilling, make the caramel sauce.
- Mix the sugar and water together in a deep, heavy bottomed sauce pan
- Turn the heat to medium high and allow the sugar to melt. Do not stir (it's hard, but please resist).
- While the sugar is melting, heat the heavy cream in the microwave until it is almost boiling.
- Once the sugar has dissolved, turn the heat to high. The sugar mixture will turn a deep amber color. Watch the sugar carefully, as it will burn easily if you look away for a moment. Feel free to swirl the sauce pan around to allow the sugar to evenly caramelize.
- After your sugar has turned a deep amber color, take it off the heat and add in the warmed heavy cream. Watch out - it will bubble vigorously! Then add the butter, salt and vanilla. Whisk until the caramel thickens and is smooth. Set aside.
Bake the cookies
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Using a medium cookie scoop or two spoons, scoop out balls of dough and roll them in your hands into spheres.
- Place the dough ball on your prepared cookie sheet. Use your thumb to press down in the center of the cookie dough to slightly flatten it. Repeat with the remaining dough, ensuring that you leave at least 1-2 inches of space between each cookie.
- Bake in your preheated oven for about 12-15 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool completely before filling.
- Once the cookies have cooled, take a small spoon and scoop a bit of caramel sauce into the indentation. Let the caramel set a bit before moving to the next step.
- In a small microwave safe bowl (or over a double boiler on the stove), melt your chocolate (if using a microwave, you may need to add 1-2 teaspoons of oil to prevent your chocolate from seizing. If you use the double boiler method, you do not need the oil). Using a fork, spoon or small spatula, drizzle the melted chocolate over the cookies.
- Let the melted chocolate set before serving.