For my mom’s birthday last December, we invited a few of her close friends to join us for dinner at one of her favorite local restaurants. During the holidays, that place features a special four-course Scandinavian dinner as one of their menu items, and Mom insists on enjoying that at least once—if not more!—before Christmas.
We all arrived around 6 pm on that chilly Sunday evening, and we spent the next two hours laughing, nibbling, and thoroughly enjoying ourselves during the relaxed, slow-paced meal. One of the couples that came constantly kept us in stitches with their witty comments and jokes!
When our waiter dropped off dessert, each of our guests passed Mom a small gift bag, which she opened in between bites of warm berry cobbler. She pulled out gift cards, a cute baseball-themed Christmas ornament, and a box of gourmet dark chocolate salted caramel fudge.
Although much too full to devour it at the restaurant, Mom offered us all a sample once we returned home. Rich, smooth, creamy, with the perfect zing from the flaky sea salt… We unanimously agreed it was some of the best fudge we’d ever eaten, and Mom even hid it from herself in the pantry so she wouldn’t slice off a small piece every time she walked into the kitchen!
Because I haven’t quite figured out how to make that fudge healthier and still taste just as irresistible, I finally whipped up the next best thing… These Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Thumbprint Cookies! They’re perfectly portioned and have the same rich flavors, but they’re made with no butter, refined flour or sugar and only 38 calories!
I may have to hide them from my family, just like that original fudge! ?
To make these healthy thumbprint cookies, you’ll start with a combination of white whole wheat flour and cocoa powder. White whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of soft white wheat, whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. This gives white whole wheat flour a lighter taste and texture, similar to all-purpose flour, but it has the same health benefits (like extra fiber!) as regular whole wheat flour.
As for the second ingredient, just use regular unsweetened cocoa powder! You’re adding ⅓ cup, so the cookies already taste really rich and chocolaty without Dutched or special dark cocoa powder.
However, make sure you measure the flour and cocoa powder correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. Too much of either ingredient will dry out your cookie dough, and too much cocoa powder will make your cookies taste bitter, rather than rich and chocolaty. This is the kitchen scale I own, and it has been the best $20 I’ve ever spent! I use it every day and for every recipe I share with you here because it ensures my treats turn out with the perfect taste and texture.
You’ll skip the refined sugar and sweeten your cookie dough with coconut sugar instead. Coconut sugar is exactly what it sounds like: an unrefined sweetener that comes from coconuts. BUT it does not actually taste like coconuts! It has a caramel-like flavor, similar to brown sugar, and you can find it at most grocery stores near the traditional sugars. (Or online here!)
Just before popping your baking sheet in the oven, you’ll fill each cookie with the easiest ever salted caramel sauce. Have you tried it yet?? Just 3 healthy ingredients, 1 simple step, and no butter, heavy cream or refined sugar. It’s absolutely amazing—and I’ve been known to eat it straight from the jar with a spoon!
Then set your timer, wait as patiently as possible, and…
Enjoy your delicious cookies! ? And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! ?) I’d love to see your cookies and feature them in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Thumbprint Cookies | | Print |
- ⅔ cup (80g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- ⅓ cup (27g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 tbsp (15mL) nonfat milk, room temperature
- 1 large egg white, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (96g) coconut sugar
- ¼ cup (70g) the easiest ever salted caramel sauce
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, milk, egg white, and vanilla. Stir in the coconut sugar. Add in the flour mixture, and stir until incorporated. Chill the cookie dough for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours. (If chilling longer than 2 hours, cover the bowl with plastic wrap or foil to prevent the cookie dough from drying out.)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Transfer the caramel to a zip-topped bag, and cut off one corner.
- Using a spoon and spatula, and drop the cookie dough into 24 rounded scoops onto the prepared baking sheet. Moisten your fingers with a tiny bit of water, and shape each one into a circle. Gently press your index finger into the center of each to create a well. (Re-moisten your fingers as necessary!) Pipe the caramel into each well. Bake the cookies at 350°F for 7-9 minutes. Cool on the pan for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
For a gluten-free flour substitute, I recommend the following: 3 tablespoons (22g) millet flour, 3 tablespoons (22g) tapioca flour, 1 ½ tablespoons (10g) coconut flour, and ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends will work as well, if measured like this.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
Light brown sugar may be substituted for the coconut sugar.
If the cookies stick to the pan, then gently slide a knife underneath each one to loosen it.
This recipe is easily doubled!
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
View Nutrition Information
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♥ Dark Chocolate Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies
♥ Dark Chocolate Blossom Cookies
♥ Healthy Caramel Seven Layer Bars
♥ Peanut Butter Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies
♥ Grandpa’s Thumbprint Cookies
♥ Pecan Pie Thumbprint Cookies
♥ PB&J Thumbprint Cookies
♥ Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
These look so delicious. I have most of the ingredients but thankfully this has been posted on shopping day. ? Can’t wait to try them. Xx
I’m so excited to hear what you think of these cookies Natalie! 🙂
Hi Amy. I love your site and recipes. I love how your recipes are made healthier and with less calories than the traditional ones, yet still VERY GOOD!
I was wondering if you had a recipe- tweaked to make lower in calories and healthier for salted caramel cookies. I just had a homemade version that got me superhooked on them, but after looking for a recipe (healthier version) I was blown away to see how many calories were in all the recipes! I have yet to find one that can be close to the regular, with the sugar and fat content majorly cut or half replaced with healthier subs!
I saw yours which looks amazing, but I was wondering if you had or could do a few tweaks to make a simple salted caramel cookie that was not chocolate, and NOT keto, perhaps using a half whole wheat flour or oat flour?
Thank you. I will have to try more of your recipes!
God bless.
Paj Tognetti (Italy)
You’re so kind — I really appreciate your sweet words, Paj! I have other thumbprint cookie recipes that use “regular” cookie dough (not chocolate!), and you could easily use the filling from this recipe in those cookies instead. 🙂
I’d recommend this recipe (it also includes a step-by-step video!). You can use regular whole wheat flour in place of the white whole wheat flour, if you’d prefer. Oat flour should also work, but because it tends to be more absorbent than wheat-based flours, be very careful when measuring it so your cookie dough doesn’t turn out dry! (If the cookie dough is too dry to come together, just add a bit of milk ½ teaspoon at a time until you’re able to mix everything together into a smooth dough.)
I’d absolutely love to hear how your salted caramel thumbprint cookies turn out, if you end up making them!!
Thank you Amy!!
I understood that using oat flour is more closely related to white flour as far as getting the same type of consistency (sugar cookies?), whereas whole wheat flour is more dense, earthy, and can absorb more liquid than a white/oat flour?
Maybe I can try them both and see the difference between them. Usually, when I do take the time to bake, I’ll do a variety of test kitchen recipes with different tweaks to see what comes out better. I will definitely try your recipe and let you know how they turn out.
YUM! Chocolate and caramel are so good together. These cookies look delicious! And it sounds like you had a great time at your mom’s bday dinner!
Thanks so much Kelsie! We definitely did! 🙂
You are so creative. I love how you take inspiration from experiences in your life and make them healthy! Chocolate and salted caramel is one of my favorite flavor combinations of all time! However since changing my eating, the richness doesn’t appeal to me as much as it used to. These cookies sound like a perfect replacement!
Thank you so much Andrenna! That means a lot to me! ♡ I agree… A little bit of chocolate/caramel goes a LONG way when we change the way we eat! 😉
I tried these because I was bored and had some dates in the back of the cupboard and they were a BIG hit. Even with my sugar addict brother. I was initially a little sceptical about the dates for salted caramel but it really worked! I did actually use dried dates and soaked them a while in boiling water before blending and it worked a treat. Any more salted caramel recipes like this I can try? Love the website makeover btw☺️
Thank you so much for your kind words about my blog’s makeover Mary! That means a lot to me! 🙂 I’m so glad that you and your brother enjoyed these cookies! Thanks for mentioning the boiling water trick. I always love hearing what works! The best way to find a specific recipe is to click on the “Recipes” tab at the top of my blog or use the Search Bar (located on at the top of my blog, if you’re viewing on a computer, or the bottom of my blog, if you’re viewing on a mobile device). I can’t wait to hear what you try next!
Hi Amy, I am dying to try this out. But I m planning to use whole wheat flour instead, as I won’t get white whole wheat flour here. Can u help me with the exact quantity that I should use of whole wheat flour for this recipe.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Tania! That information is already included in the Notes section underneath the Instructions. It can be easy to miss! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookies!