Coconut Thumbprint Cookies with Salted Caramel

One of the best parts about the iPad is that you can get magazines on it. Not only do the magazines add cute little animations, and the pictures look amazing, but you can easily save recipes as screenshots. I use this fridge mount to display recipes on the iPad (from magazines or the internet) pretty much 99% of the time I am cooking - it is super useful.

I mention this, because I found this delicious cookie recipe in the Martha Stewart Living magazine! They are definitely as tasty as they look.

Coconut Thumbprint Cookies with Salted Caramel

Adapted From Martha Stewart Living February 2012

Makes approximately 54 cookies.

Ingredients

3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
12 ounces sweetened flaked coconut
12 ounces of small, soft caramel candies
6 tablespoons heavy cream
Large, flaky sea salt or kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350 deg F.

Beat together butter and sugar with mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Then, beat in vanilla.

With mixer on low, gradually add flour and 1/2 teaspoon table salt. Beat to combine.

Roll dough into 1 1/4 inch balls. Dip each ball into beaten egg and roll into coconut. Place balls on parchment-lined baking sheets, and press an indentation into each with your thumb.

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove sheets from oven, and re-press indentations. Bake cookies until golden, 9 to 10 minutes more. Let cool on wire racks. Repeat with remaining dough.

Place caramels and heavy cream in a small saucepan over low heat.

Cook, stirring constantly, until the caramels are melted and mixture is smooth (4 to 6 minutes). Spoon into indentations, and sprinkle with flaky salt. Rewarm caramel if it hardens before all cookies are filled.