Cashew Thumbprint Cookies are tons of fun; these one-bitters are nutty and buttery. Topped with a spoonful of goat’s milk caramel (cajeta – Mexican caramel sauce) and a whole cashew, they’re as pretty as they’re tasty. With less than 30 minutes of work, I mean fun, you'll have 24 thumbprint cookies popped in the oven. We’ll also learn a bit about cashews.
Hello my friends. We’ve been quite busy putting together and testing new recipes for you for this holiday season. Measuring the ingredients, taking the pictures, and all that goes with it, is quite a lot of work! It’s precisely for those moments when you have little time to spare, that we designed today’s recipe for cashew thumbprint cookies. They’re fast and easy to make, and they’re quite a fun project too! I mean, thumbprint cookies? It doesn’t get any better than that, especially if you have kids to help push their thumb in the cookie.
These cashew cookies are convenient one-biter, nutty cookies to bring to the table when you have guests coming over. Catching up with a cappuccino in hand and a platter packed with thumbprint cookies is guarantee of a splendid time. Talking about time, you’ll be hard-pressed to find tasty cookies like these with such an easy recipe.
Important Ingredients in these Thumbprint Cookies
We’ll be using a fair amount of creamy butter, all-purpose flour, vanilla extract, sea salt, orange zest, a fistful of cashews, and cajeta caramel sauce, so I’m pretty sure you have some if not most of the ingredients already.
Make sure you’re using sea salt and not table salt. It has more minerals, making it healthier, but it also has a different mouthfeel hard to explain. We always have a jar of sea salt at home, it comes from Greece, and if you think all salt tastes the same, you’re in for a surprise!
We’re also using goat’s milk caramel sauce to top our thumbprint cookies; this is the silkiest, creamiest caramel sauce ever. If you’ve run out of yours, do try this Milk Caramel Sauce aka Mexican cajeta caramel sauce. It’s made with Vermont goat’s milk, and it’s as artisanal as caramel sauces get. Cajeta sauce is a slow-cooked Mexican caramel sauce made out of goat's milk.
How to Make Cashew Thumbprint Cookies
First you’ll be making the dough: Beat the butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk, vanilla paste, orange zest, and sea salt. Mix, then stir in flour, and mix again. Wrap the dough in a large sheet of plastic wrap and press into a disk, and chill for at least 2 hours.
Make some cashew sugar & an egg bath: Combine finely chopped cashews with some sugar. In another bowl, beat an egg white until frothy.
Make some balls & start dipping: Roll the dough into balls; dip balls in egg white, then in the cashew-sugar, and put them on a prepared baking sheet.
Transform balls into thumbprints: Press the centers of the balls down with your thumb.
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Bake, press, bake some more: Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven and press the centers down again using the end of a wooden spoon. Return cookies to oven and bake 6 to 8 minutes more until golden brown.
Cool, caramel & cashew: Let cookies cool 3 minutes in the baking sheet, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely. Once cooled, fill centers with caramel sauce. Top each cookie with one whole cashew, and for that, we have a special section for you.
Some Fun Facts About Cashews
Cashews are these kidney-bean shaped nuts we can’t live without, (and they are actually my personal favorite nut) and because knowledge is the best way of getting better at cooking, here are some nutty facts about them.
- Cashews come from the Amazon rain forest in Brazil. Interestingly, the largest cashew producing countries are Vietnam, India, and the Ivory Coast. These countries grow more than half the cashews on the planet, and of course 90% of all cashews are consumed in the USA.
- Cashews are some of the most expensive nuts on Earth because they’re super hard to process. It’s hard work getting from the boxing-glove-shaped fruit to the final peeled nut, and everything is done by hand.
- The curvy nuts are also incredibly healthy. One ounce has five grams of protein and lots of healthy, artery-cleansing mono-unsaturated fats. They’re packed with vitamins and minerals as well.
- People make ‘cheese’ out of the nut, and of course, the creamy cashew butter we love. If you are vegan, you know all about the versatility of cashews.
Having gained some knowledge for a new conversation topic, we’re ready to make some cashew thumbprint cookies to go with it!
I hope you get a chance to make these Cashew Thumbprint Cookies with Cinnamon Goat's Milk Caramel Sauce. And if thumbprint cookies are your thing, check out Almond Thumbprint Cookies filled with Mixed Red Berry Jam and Walnut Macaroon Thumbprint Cookies with Fig Preserves.
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Remember we would love to hear from you in the comment section below. We personally reply to all comments. See you there.
Carlos Leo
Your Recipe Concierge
Cashew Thumbprint Cookies with Cajeta Caramel Sauce
- Total Time: 48 minutes
- Yield: 24 1x
Description
Make buttery and nutty cashew thumbprint cookies embellished with a dollop of goat’s milk caramel (cajeta). You can make 24 of these one-biters fast and easy — the perfect cookies for a get-together over a cup of coffee.
Ingredients
- ½ cup softened butter
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large separated egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
- ½ teaspoon orange zest
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup finely chopped roasted salted cashews
- ½ cup Cinnamon Goat's Milk Caramel Sauce
- 24 whole cashews
Instructions
- Combine butter and ½ cup sugar in a large mixing bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, beat on medium speed for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy.
- Add egg yolk, vanilla extract, orange zest, and salt, and mix thoroughly. Stir in flour, and mix to combine.
- Wrap the dough in a large sheet of plastic wrap and press into a disk. Then chill the dough for 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 325F, and prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make the cashew sugar: In a small bowl, combine the finely chopped cashews with the sugar. In another bowl, beat egg white until frothy.
- Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Dip balls in egg white, and then dip in the cashew sugar.
- Place balls on the prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Press the centers of the balls down with your thumb. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove cookies from oven, and press the centers down again using the end of a wooden spoon. Return the cookies to the oven and bake 6 to 8 minutes more until they are golden brown.
- Cool cookies 2 to 3 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely.
- Fill cookie centers with caramel sauce, and then top each cookie with one whole cashew.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Hey there, I'm Carlos, a food and drink enthusiast, recipe blogger and 
Adrianne
What perfect cookies these are! I love them. the cashew on top is perfect and I can see them being used as gifts all holiday season. The caramel sauce sounds good too.
Geoffrey Swetz
Yes, cookies make the perfect, inexpensive holiday gifts. So glad you like them Adrianne.
Dannii
I love anything with cashews and these cookies look so delicious.
Geoffrey Swetz
If you love cashews Dannii, then you will definitely love these cookies. Enjoy!!
Kushigalu
Love cashewnuts. What a great cookie flaVor. Will try for christmas.
Geoffrey Swetz
Happy to hear you are going to try this recipe. Did you get a chance before Christmas? or is it still in the works?
Irina
I have seen thumbprint cookie recipes, but I have never tried making them. Love your cashew version! Going to make it soon!
Geoffrey Swetz
Great to hear Irina. Thumbprint cookies are so versatile, because you can put any flavor jam, caramel sauce, fruit, etc in the center.
Jere
I love thumbprint cookies but have never seen a recipe with cashews, gotta try this. And the Fat Toad caramel looks amazingly thick and rich.
Geoffrey Swetz
If you love thumbprint cookies Jere, then you will definitely love this one, and yes, the caramel sauce is a-mazing.