Coconut Thumbprint Cookies with Fleur De Sel Caramel

I love thumbprint cookies! They are bite size, and so cute to look at ! I have made chocolate thumbprint cookies, which were a hit the last time I made them. This time I made coconut thumbprint cookies with fleur de sel caramel(since I had the fresh caramel candies made already!). Nothing like homemade caramel, to make the cookies taste divine!

Ingredients:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temp
1 cup sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg lightly beaten
8 ounces flaky sweetened coconut(grind it to form a powder)
About 30 fleur de sel caramel candy
1/2 cup heavy cream
Fleur de sel to sprinkle over the cookie


Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees C. Beat together the butter and sugar in a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add in the vanilla and beat it. With mixer on low, gradually mix in the flour and salt to form a dough. Press dough together in plastic wrap and combine to form a big ball. Now make 1 1/4 inch balls. Dip each ball into the beaten egg, and then roll it into coconut. Place the balls on a parchment lined baking sheet, and press an indentation into each cookie with your thumb. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove sheets from oven and re-press the indentation. Bake cookies, until golden brown in color for 10 minutes. Let cool on wire racks. Repeat until dough is over.

Place the caramels, and cream in a saucepan and on medium low heat, whisk until well blended for 5 minutes. Spoon caramel into the indentations, and sprinkle with fleur de sel. Le it set for the caramel to harden slightly. Store in airtight container for 2 days.

Fleur de Sel Caramels

My hubby and I love going to this place in San Francisco called Miette, in the Ferry Building MarketPlace. They have the most beautiful pastries, cookies, candies, macaroons that I have ever seen, and so beautifully presented. I came across the book in a store, and bought it, so that I can try the delicious goodies, myself.

Hubby LOVES caramel! He could swim in caramel if he could! Hence I decided to try fleur de sel caramels as my first recipe. I did reduce the sugar content, and it turned out just fine. I even used half and half instead of the heavy cream, as mentioned in the recipe, and it turned out fantastic! One thing to remember and a tip, the key to fantastic caramel is constant whisking!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup light corn syrup
3 tablespoons water
1/2 cup fleur de sel for sprinkling


Method:

Butter the bottom of an 8 inch square baking dish. Line with the bottom with parchment paper, long enough to extend over both sides by about 3 inches to use later as handles, if needed.

In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, milk, sugar, brown sugar, butter, salt, corn syrup and water. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Place over medium low heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture reaches 246 degrees F, 30 - 40 minutes.

When the caramel reaches the correct temperature, remove it from the heat and pour it into the buttered pan, scraping out any caramel on the sides of the saucepan. Caramel is very hot, so be careful. Let the caramel cool for 15 minutes and sprinkle the fleur de sel evenly over the caramel. Cool completely to room temp. Wrap the baking dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for atleast 30 minutes upto 1.5 hours for it to set, and cutting caramels, easier.

Run the tip of a knife by the edges to remove the entire caramel by the parchment paper. Measure 1 inch intervals and cut the caramel into 1 inch squares. Peel the caramel squares from the parchment paper. Wrap each caramel into a square of waxed paper or candy cellophance and twist both ends. Store in airtight container for 10 days.