GLUTEN FREE CHOCOLATE & VANILLA THUMBPRINT COOKIES FILLED WITH HOMEMADE CARAMEL

Posted by Bryna Bear aka Gluten Free Baking Bear

     I made a batch of homemade caramel.  The Food Network recipe for caramels produced a soft caramel that was absolutely delicious.  It was not the hard chewy caramels that will stay put when cut into shape, these caramels will spread out as far as you allow them to. They are very soft and melt in your mouth when you bite into them.

     After wrapping up a dozen caramels in wax paper I realized that this was going to be way too many to either wrap or eat.  The wheels in my brain thought of some treats with caramel that I had not had due to the gluten content.  Treats such as Twix and Turtle cookies.  I also thought of other treats that I liked but were very expensive such as those caramel coated marshmallows that are sold at checkout counters.  This particular caramel texture and consistency would work very well with cookies or candy.  

     I decided to start with turtle-like cookies. I used Hershey’s Chocolate Thumbprint cookie recipe and Martha Stewart’s Vanilla one and converted them into gluten free versions.  I rolled some in nuts and left some plain.  I put small pieces of caramel into the indents of each baked cookie.  Within fifteen minutes the caramel spread out into perfectly smooth pools.  I also put jam in a few of the cookies.   In turtle tradition I decided to put a whole pecan on some of the cookies and drizzled some with chocolate.  They taste great in any style, and I should know as I tested them all myself.

GLUTEN FREE THUMBPRINT COOKIES 

FILLED WITH HOMEMADE CARAMEL

ONE RECIPE HOMEMADE CARAMELS

The recipe contains no gluten ingredients so I made it as it was written.
Make one recipe according to directions.  It will need to sit 5 hours after it is done so you may want to make it a day ahead.

VANILLA THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Makes about 2 dozen

Ingredients

1/2 cup or 4oz. or  1 stick	Unsalted butter
1/2 cup plus  2 Tbs.	Sugar
1 large	Egg - separated
1 tsp.	Vanilla extract
3/4 cup	Sorghum flour
1/4 cup	Chickpea flour
1/4 cup	Tapioca flour
1/2 tsp.	Xanthan gum
1/8 tsp.	Sea salt
1/2 cup	Chopped toasted pecans (or nut of choice) - optional

     

Directions

1. Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add the egg yolk (the white will be used later to dip the cookies and coat them with nuts) and vanilla and beat until well mixed.
3. In a separate bowl add the flours, xanthan gum and salt.  Mix together well with a whisk.
4. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until well combined.
5. Refrigerate the dough until it can be handled easily to form into balls.  About two hours.
6. When ready to make the cookies preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat pads.
7. Form the dough into balls about 1-inch in diameter.
8. Place the egg white in one small bowl and the chopped nuts in another.

   

   Ball of dough in the lightly beaten egg white.

9. Dip each ball of dough into the egg white and then roll it in the chopped nuts.  Then place the balls on the cookie sheets about 3-inches apart.

   

   Rolling the egg-dipped ball in the chopped nuts.

10. With your thumb or with a 1/2 tsp. sized round measuring spoon bottom press the center of the ball down to form an indent.

    

    Using my thumb to indent the cold dough.
    If the dough is too cold the edges will crack.
    Let the dough warm up a bit before pressing the center if you want smoother edges.

11. Bake 10-12 minutes until lightly browned.
12. Remove from the oven and while still warm press down the indent of each cookie with the small measuring spoon or the end of a wooden spoon.

13. 

    Baked Vanilla Thumbprint cookies still hot.
    Re-denting the center with the measuring spoon.

    When cool fill each indent with a piece of homemade caramel or with some jam.

    

    Cooled cookies filled with caramel and jam.

14. If you want chocolate drizzle follow instructions below.
15. Store in a tin lined with wax paper.

CHOCOLATE THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Makes about 2 dozen

Ingredients

1/2 cup or 4oz. or  1 stick	Unsalted butter
2/3 cup	Sugar
1 large	Egg - separated
1 tsp.	Vanilla extract
2 Tbs.	Milk
1/2 cup	Sorghum flour
1/4 cup	Chickpea flour
1/4 cup	Tapioca flour
1/3 cup	Cocoa powder
1/2 tsp.	Xanthan gum
1/4 tsp.	Sea salt
1/2 cup	Chopped toasted pecans (or nut of choice) - optional

     

Directions

1. Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add the egg yolk (the white will be used later to dip the cookies and coat them with nuts) and vanilla and beat until well mixed.
3. In a separate bowl add the flours, cocoa, xanthan gum and salt.  Mix together well with a whisk.
4. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until well combined.
5. Refrigerate the dough until it can be handled easily to form into balls.  About two hours.
6. When ready to make the cookies preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat pads.
7. Form the dough into balls about 1-inch in diameter.
8. Place the egg white in one small bowl and the chopped nuts in another.
9. Dip each ball of dough into the egg white and then roll it in the chopped nuts.  Then place the balls on the cookie sheets about 3-inches apart.
10. With your thumb or with a 1/2 tsp. sized round measuring spoon bottom press the center of the ball down to form an indent.

11. 

    Making indents with a ½ tsp. measuring spoon.
    I wrapped the spoon with plastic wrap to keep the dough from sticking.

    Bake 10-12 minutes until lightly browned.
12. Remove from the oven and while still warm press down the indent of each cookie with the small measuring spoon or the end of a wooden spoon.

    

    A long strip of caramel.
    I used a kitchen shears to cut off pieces to place in the baked cookie dents.

13. When cool fill each indent with a piece of homemade caramel or with some jam.

    

    Pieces of caramel in the dents.
    The caramel will spread out into a smooth pool in a few minutes.

14. If you want chocolate drizzle follow instructions below.
15. Store in a tin lined with wax paper.

CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE

Ingredients

4 oz.	Chocolate chips or chocolate - the only ingredients should be chocolate, cocoa butter, lecithin (optional), sugar & vanilla (optional). The chocolate will not temper properly if you use chips without cocoa butter or with other ingredients and chemicals and then the chocolate will not be shinny and will turn grey & crystalize.
1 1/2 tsp.	Shortening (non-hydrogenated such as Spectrum natural brand.

Directions

Things to be aware of before working with chocolate:

1. Never let the chocolate, or any tools that touch it, get wet...it will turn the chocolate into a thick paste and it will not be usable for dipping or drizzling.
2. Be patient and slowly melt it over minimal heat to prevent scorching.  (There are microwave directions on the internet, but I have never tried it this way.)
3. Use a digital thermometer to measure the temperature accurately.
4. If not tempered (heated and cooled) correctly the chocolate will not be shinny and it will crystalize and form grey streaks.  

1. Place a rack on a baking sheet.
2. Arrange the cookies on the rack leaving a space between cookies.
3. In the bowl of a double boiler over, not touching, hot water (the water should not be boiling) add 3 ounces of the chocolate and the shortening.
4. Stir with a spatula until smooth and it reaches a temperature of 115 degrees. Remove the bowl of chocolate from over the hot water and place on a trivet on the counter.
5. Add 1 ounce of chocolate to the melted chocolate mixture and stir until smooth and satiny and the temperature goes down to 91 degrees.
6. Using a fork, dip the tines into the chocolate and then drizzle the chocolate over the cookies.  It works best to move your whole arm (not just the wrist) from side to side over the cookies.  You can also place the melted chocolate into a plastic squeeze bottle with a small hole on the top and then squeeze out streams of chocolate over the cookies as you move your arm from side to side over the cookies.  I had a squeeze bottle with five tiny holes on top (that I found at Marshall’s) and it made beautiful thin lines over the cookies.

   

   Squeeze bottle with several holes on the top.
   I filled this with tempered chocolate.
   You can use a single opening bottle as well.

7. If the temperature of the chocolate falls below 88 degrees warm it up again to 91 and continue drizzling the cookies. 
8. Left over tempered chocolate can be stored in a dry sealed container at room temperature.  For reuse the chocolate can be tempered again up to two more times.

Different ways to fill and decorate the cookies.

GLUTEN FREE THUMBPRINT COOKIES FILLED WITH HOMEMADE CARAMEL ONE RECIPE HOMEMADE CARAMELS The recipe contains no gluten ingredients so I made it as is. Make one recipe according to directions. It will need to sit 5 hours after it is done so you may want to make it a day ahead. VANILLA THUMBPRINT COOKIES Makes about 2 dozen Ingredients 1/2 cup or 4oz. or 1 stick Unsalted butter 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs. Sugar 1 large Egg - separated 1 tsp. Vanilla extract 3/4 cup Sorghum flour 1/4 cup Chickpea flour 1/4 cup Tapioca flour 1/2 tsp. Xanthan gum 1/8 tsp. Sea salt 1/2 cup Chopped toasted pecans (or nut of choice) - optional Directions Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk (the white will be used later to dip the cookies and coat them with nuts) and vanilla and beat until well mixed. In a separate bowl add the flours, xanthan gum and salt. Mix together well with a whisk. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until well combined. Refrigerate the dough until it can be handled easily to form into balls. About two hours. When ready to make the cookies preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat pads. Form the dough into balls about 1-inch in diameter. Place the egg white in one small bowl and the chopped nuts in another. Dip each ball of dough into the egg white and then roll it in the chopped nuts. Then place the balls on the cookie sheets about 3-inches apart. With your thumb or with a 1/2 tsp. sized round measuring spoon bottom press the center of the ball down to form an indent. Bake 10-12 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and while still warm press down the indent of each cookie with the small measuring spoon or the end of a wooden spoon. When cool fill each indent with a piece of homemade caramel or with some jam. If you want chocolate drizzle follow instructions below. Store in a tin lined with wax paper. CHOCOLATE THUMBPRINT COOKIES Makes about 2 dozen Ingredients 1/2 cup or 4oz. or 1 stick Unsalted butter 2/3 cup Sugar 1 large Egg - separated 1 tsp. Vanilla extract 2 Tbs. Milk 1/2 cup Sorghum flour 1/4 cup Chickpea flour 1/4 cup Tapioca flour 1/3 cup Cocoa powder 1/2 tsp. Xanthan gum 1/4 tsp. Sea salt 1/2 cup Chopped toasted pecans (or nut of choice) - optional Directions Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk (the white will be used later to dip the cookies and coat them with nuts) and vanilla and beat until well mixed. In a separate bowl add the flours, cocoa, xanthan gum and salt. Mix together well with a whisk. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until well combined. Refrigerate the dough until it can be handled easily to form into balls. About two hours. When ready to make the cookies preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat pads. Form the dough into balls about 1-inch in diameter. Place the egg white in one small bowl and the chopped nuts in another. Dip each ball of dough into the egg white and then roll it in the chopped nuts. Then place the balls on the cookie sheets about 3-inches apart. With your thumb or with a 1/2 tsp. sized round measuring spoon bottom press the center of the ball down to form an indent. Bake 10-12 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and while still warm press down the indent of each cookie with the small measuring spoon or the end of a wooden spoon. When cool fill each indent with a piece of homemade caramel or with some jam. If you want chocolate drizzle follow instructions below. Store in a tin lined with wax paper. CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE Ingredients 4 oz. Chocolate chips or chocolate - the only ingredients should be chocolate, cocoa butter, lecithin (optional), sugar & vanilla (optional). The chocolate will not temper properly if you use chips without cocoa butter or with other ingredients and chemicals and then the chocolate will not be shinny and will turn grey & crystalize. 1 1/2 tsp. Shortening (non-hydrogenated such as Spectrum natural brand. Directions Things to be aware of before working with chocolate: Never let the chocolate, or any tools that touch it, get wet...it will turn the chocolate into a thick paste and it will not be usable for dipping or drizzling. Be patient and slowly melt it over minimal heat to prevent scorching it. (There are microwave directions on the internet, but I have not tried it this way.) Use a digital thermometer to measure the temperature accurately. If not tempered (heated and cooled) correctly the chocolate will not be shinny and will crystalize and form grey streaks. Place a rack on a baking sheet. Arrange the cookies on the rack leaving a space between cookies. In the bowl of a double boiler over, not touching, hot water (the water should not be boiling) add 3 ounces of the chocolate and the shortening. Stir with a spatula until smooth and it reaches a temperature of 115 degrees. Remove the bowl of chocolate from over the hot water and place on a trivet on the counter. Add 1 ounce of chocolate to the melted chocolate mixture and stir until smooth and satiny and the temperature goes down to 91 degrees. Using a fork, dip the tines into the chocolate and then drizzle the chocolate over the cookies. It works best to move your whole arm (not just the wrist) from side to side over the cookies. You can also place the melted chocolate into a plastic squeeze bottle with a small hole on the top and then squeeze out streams of chocolate over the cookies as you move your arm from side to side over the cookies. I had a squeeze bottle with five tiny holes on top (that I found at Marshall’s) and it made beautiful thin lines over the cookies. If the temperature of the chocolate falls below 88 degrees warm it up again to 91 and continue drizzling the cookies. Left over tempered chocolate can be stored in a dry sealed container at room temperature. For reuse the chocolate can be tempered again up to two more times.