This over-the-top cookie recipe was shared by my friends Carole and Nathan of Educated Foodie. The recipe was inspired by a cookie recipe from America’s Test Kitchen Holiday Cookies 2010 Special Issue.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, separated, plus 1 egg white
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 ¼ cups pecans, chopped finely
• 14 soft caramel candies
• 3 Tbsp. heavy cream

Directions:

1. Combine flour, cocoa, and salt in a bowl.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolk, milk and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Reduce mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture until just combined – do not overmix. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
3. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
4. Whisk egg whites in a bowl until frothy.
5. Place pecans in a bowl.
6. Roll dough into 1” balls, dip them in the egg whites then roll them in pecans. Place balls 2” apart on prepared baking sheets. Using ½ teaspoon measure, make an indentation in the center of each ball. Bake until set, about 12 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through the baking process.
7. Microwave caramels and cream in a bowl, stirring occasionally, until smooth – 1 to 2 minutes.
8. Once cookies are removed from oven, gently re-press existing indentations. Fill each cookie indentation with ½ teaspoon caramel mixture. Cool 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Yields about 2 ½ dozen cookies.