Cookie Question??

I love living in a big city, I love my career at a huge corporation, I love living in a Condo across the street from the Metro, I love being DINKs (Double Income No Kids) and I love all of my single party friends.

But this recipe made me want to live in a little small town community with a bunch of stay at home moms and little old ladies so that I could organize a Christmas cookie exchange and make dozens of batches of these cookies for mass distribution. The end product was so cute and oh so delicious. They were begging to be made in bulk!

And maybe I am being close minded. Cookie exchanges can happen anywhere I suppose. Chime in if you have pulled one off with a bunch of young single/no kid professionals. Anyone?

Turtle Thumbprints
Adapted from Better Homes and Garden

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 16 chewy caramels, unwrapped (like Werther's)
• 3 tablespoons whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  
• 1-1/4 cups finely chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup (3 ounces) semisweet chocolate pieces
• 1 teaspoon shortening

Directions

1. Separate egg; place yolk and white in separate bowls. Cover and chill egg white until needed. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Add sugar and beat well. Beat in egg yolk, milk, and vanilla.

2. In another bowl stir together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt.

Add flour mixture to butter mixture and beat until well combined. Wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap

and chill for 2 hours or until easy to handle.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. In a small saucepan heat and stir caramels, vanilla and whipping cream

over low heat until mixture is smooth. Set aside.

4. Slightly beat reserved egg white. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in egg white, then in pecans to coat.

Place balls 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheet.

Using the back of a 1/2 teaspoon round measuring spoon, make an indentation in the center of each cookie.

5. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are firm. If cookie centers puff during baking (which they most likely will), repress with your measuring spoon. Spoon melted caramel mixture into indentations of cookies using a teaspoon.

Transfer cookies to wire racks; cool. (If necessary, reheat caramel mixture to keep it spoonable.)

6. In another saucepan heat and stir chocolate pieces and shortening over low heat until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Let cool slightly. Drizzle chocolate mixture over tops of cookies using a fork and a quick back and forth motion as the chocolate drips.

Let stand until chocolate is set. Makes 36 cookies.