Salted Pumpkin Caramel Thumbprint Cookies blend the warmth of classic oatmeal cookies with a rich, indulgent pumpkin caramel filling. This recipe promises a simple yet impressive cookie that is sure to delight anyone who takes a bite, offering a nice contrast between chewy dough and luscious caramel filling.
These delightful oatmeal cookies with pumpkin starts with a base made from a box of Krusteaz cookie mix, ensuring a perfect texture and flavor. The addition of the pumpkin caramel filling adds seasonal flair, making these thumbprint cookies perfect for fall or any time of year!
The BEST Seasonal Cookies
Pumpkin Caramel Thumbprint Cookies bring an amazing blend of flavors perfect for the holiday season. The base combines rich brown sugar oatmeal cookies with a creamy pumpkin caramel filling. This combination creates a festive treat that stands out at any gathering!
Thanks to the packaged cookie mix, these treats are truly fabulous and so easy to make. Everything about this cookie recipe is perfect for fall. From the salted caramel filling to the pumpkin and spices, you are going to love every last bite. Give these tasty cookies a try, we hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
Why you’ll love this Oatmeal Cookie Recipe
- Perfect flavors and texture combination. The sweet and chewy brown sugar oatmeal cookie base pairs perfectly with the flavors in the pumpkin caramel filling. These Fall flavors with the creamy caramel filling makes for a delightful dessert.
- Great for Sharing: These oatmeal thumbprint cookies are versatile enough to impress guests during holiday gatherings. Their unique appearance and taste make them perfect for gifting or sharing at parties.
- Simple ingredients. You will be surprised to find that many of the ingredients needed for this recipe are already in your home. We use very simple pantry staple ingredients like eggs, butter, corn syrup, etc. Any shopping trip needed should be minimal.
Salted Caramel Thumbprint Cookies Ingredients
Cookie mix: You need one 14-oz box of Krusteaz Brown Sugar Oatmeal cookie mix for the base of this cookie recipe.
Egg: Use 1 large egg to help bind the ingredients in the dough together well.
Butter: Adding ½ cup of butter, softened, will make the cookies rich in taste.
Flour: ⅓ cup of flour will get the dough to the perfect consistency for scooping and shaping.
Salted Pumpkin Caramel Filling
Sugar: Using ½ cup of granulated sugar will make this caramel nice and sweet.
Water: All you need is 2 TBSP of water for the perfect filling consistency.
Corn syrup: Add 2 TBSP of light corn syrup for added thickness and sweetness.
Heavy cream: For a nice creamy flavor, use ⅓ cup of heavy whipping cream.
Butter: You need 2 TBSP of unsalted butter for added richness.
Spices: Use ¾ tsp of pumpkin pie spice, store bought or homemade blend.
Pumpkin: Add in more incredible flavor with ½ cup of canned pumpkin puree.
Sea Salt: For a salted caramel taste, you will want to use a sprinkling of coarse sea salt, NOT table salt!
How to make Salted Pumpkin Caramel Thumbprint Cookies
Cookie dough
In a medium size bowl, use an electric mixer to blend the cookie mix, egg, softened butter, and flour until well combined.
Proceed to cover the bowl of cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.
Bake
Once the cookie dough has chilled, get the oven preheating to 375 degrees F.
Then roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place them 2-inches apart on parchment paper lined cookie sheets.
After that press your thumb in the center of each dough ball and place them in the preheated oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
If the indentions puff up while cooking, use the back of a rounded teaspoon to re-press the centers immediately after baking. Let the cookies cool completely before adding the filling.
Caramel filling
In a saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stir occasionally until the mixture turns a light amber color (about 4-5 minutes).
Then remove the pan from the heat, add the heavy cream and butter. Stir well and then add in the pumpkin pie spice and canned pumpkin, mix again to combine all ingredients well.
Once the caramel mixture is well incorporated, transfer it to a covered container and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
Assemble
Proceed to spoon the caramel mixture into the cooled cookies and sprinkle each cookie with a pinch of coarse sea salt. Serve the cookies immediately and enjoy!
SALTED PUMPKIN CARAMEL THUMBPRINT COOKIES
Ingredients
Salted Pumpkin Caramel Filling
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 TBPS water
- 2 TBPS light corn syrup
- ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 TBPS unsalted butter
- ¾ tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ½ cup canned pumpkin
- coarse sea salt
Instructions
- Cookie dough: In a medium mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to blend the cookie mix, egg, softened butter, and flour until well combined. Cover the bowl and chill it in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.
- Bake: Get the oven preheating to 375 degrees F. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place the balls 2 inches apart on parchment paper lined cookie sheets.
- Press your thumb in the center of each dough ball, place cookie sheets in the preheated oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. If the indentions puff up while cooking, use the back of a rounded teaspoon to re-press the centers immediately after baking. Let the cookies cool completely before adding the filling.
- Caramel filling: In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, occasionally stirring while boiling until the mixture turns a light amber color (about 4-5 minutes). Remove the pan from the heat and add the heavy cream and butter. Stir well and then add the pumpkin pie spice and canned pumpkin, mix again to combine all ingredients well. Once the caramel mixture is well combined, transfer it to a covered container and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
- Assemble: Spoon the caramel mixture into the cooled cookies and sprinkle each cookie with a pinch of coarse sea salt. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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How long are caramel thumbprint cookies good for?
These cookies can last up to 1 week if kept stored covered or in an airtight container in the fridge.
You can freeze them if desired for up to 3 months. If doing this, I recommend freezing them for 2 hours on a baking sheet and laying parchment paper between layers so that they don’t stick together. Defrost the cookies in the fridge before enjoying.
What if I can’t find Krusteaz Brown Sugar Oatmeal cookie mix?
You can use a different cookie flavor. I would recommend the oatmeal scotchies cookie mix as it is the closest to the brown sugar one and would taste great with the caramel, but you can use any same sized box of Krusteaz cookie mix.
How can I prevent my thumbprint cookies from spreading?
To minimize spreading, chill the cookie dough for at least 30 minutes before baking. Using a higher ratio of flour can also help maintain the cookie shape, as can using parchment paper or silicone baking mats for insulation.
Can I substitute light corn syrup with an alternative ingredient for the filling?
Yes, honey or maple syrup can be used as alternatives to light corn syrup. These substitutes will alter the flavor slightly but can still provide the necessary sweetness and texture.
Do I Have To Chill My Cookie Dough?
Yes. When recipes request that you chill your cookie dough it’s usually for a good reason. A good reason is that the flavor gets a little longer to develop and make the cookies taste even more incredible but the biggest reason is because of the butter/fats in the dough.
By chilling the dough we allow the fats to solidify which means your cookies won’t spread out as much while baking so the texture turns out perfectly. This is especially important on warmer days or when your butter is warm or softened.
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Salted Pumpkin Caramel Thumbprint Cookies are incredible oatmeal brown sugar cookies with a delicious salted pumpkin caramel filling. These thumbprint cookies with pumpkin caramel have the most amazing taste of Fall flavors.
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