Caramel Pecan Cookie Bites Recipe (2024)

These sweet little Caramel Pecan Bites are delicious pecan cookies with a gooey caramel center.

When my Mom came last month for my daughter’s graduation, she came with some new cookie recipes for me! We used most of them for my daughters “one smart cookie” graduation party.

These Caramel Pecan Bites were one of the cookies that we served. They were so good that I thought I’d share the recipe for them with you today.

My Mom has been a long time subscriber to America’s Test Kitchen& Cooks Country magazines. She got the original recipe from an issue then we tweaked it just a bit. (btw, total nonbiased, non compensated plug, Cook’s Country, by America’s Test Kitchen is one of my favorite food magazines…. the only one I’ve kept a subscription to for years)

To make the caramel inside extra yummy (and a bit softer) we used Trader Joe’s sea salt caramels. They are one of my favorite caramels!

Instructions

Here’s the recipe, from America’s Test Kitchen

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ⅓ cup cocoa powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• ⅔ cup sugar
• 1 large egg, separated, plus 1 egg white
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ¼ cups pecans, chopped fine
• 14 soft caramel candies, I used Trader Joe’s salted caramels
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• Combine flour, cocoa, and salt in the bowl. With a mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolk, milk, and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture until just combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, 1 hour.
• Adjust oven rack to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk egg whites in a bowl until frothy. Place pecans in another bowl. Roll dough into 1-inch balls, dip in egg whites, then roll in pecans. Place balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Using ½-teaspoon measure, make an indentation in center of each ball. Bake until set, about 12 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking.
• Microwave caramels and cream in a bowl, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Once cookies are removed from the oven, gently re-press existing indentations. Fill each with ½ teaspoon caramel mixture. Cool 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

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