These Dulce de leche cookies are buttery chocolate thumbprint cookies filled with luscious dulce de leche — either store-bought or homemade. This easy, no-chill recipe is ideal for the holidays or any time you want a quick, impressive treat.
This recipe uses a no-chill chocolate thumbprint dough and simple dulce de leche for the filling, so it comes together fast. The cookies are chocolatey, buttery, and gooey — a crowd-pleasing combination everyone will love.
The base for this recipe is adapted from my Chocolate Pistachio Thumbprint Cookies — the dough works beautifully with dulce de leche added to the centers for a rich finish.
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Why This Recipe Works
- The cocoa-based cookie has a deep chocolate flavor that keeps you coming back for more.
- Dulce de leche adds the perfect sweet, rich, and creamy filling that balances the cocoa.
- It’s simple to prepare: a no-chill dough and store-bought dulce de leche make it quick and approachable.
Ingredients
Notes on key ingredients used in these chocolate dulce de leche cookies.
- Butter: Unsalted, at room temperature for easy creaming.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar for structure and sweetness.
- Egg yolk: Adds richness and helps bind the dough.
- Vanilla extract: Enhances the cookie’s flavor.
- All-purpose flour: Provides the base structure of the cookies.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: Use sifted, unsweetened cocoa for a clean chocolate flavor.
- Salt: A crucial ingredient to bring out the flavors; don’t skip it.
- Dulce de leche: A thick, caramel-like spread made by heating sweetened condensed milk until it browns. Use homemade or store-bought for the filling.
- Flaky sea salt: Optional but recommended — a pinch over each filled cookie brightens the sweetness.
See the recipe card below for the full ingredient list with measurements.
Instructions
Follow these steps to make chocolate thumbprint cookies filled with dulce de leche. For exact quantities, refer to the recipe card below.
Step One: Combine dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, salt, and sifted cocoa powder. Set aside.
Step Two: Cream butter and sugar. Beat the room-temperature butter until creamy, then add the granulated sugar and mix until combined. Add the vanilla extract and egg yolk, mixing just until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
Step Three: Add dry ingredients. With the mixer on low, beat in the dry ingredients until just combined to avoid overmixing.
Step Four: Shape the dough. Roll dough into balls (about 1 tablespoon each). Place them on lined baking sheets. Press your thumb or the bottom of a small spherical teaspoon into each ball to create a shallow indentation for the filling.
Step Five: Bake. Bake at 350°F for 12–14 minutes. If the indentations lose shape while baking, press them gently again with a rounded teaspoon immediately after removing the cookies from the oven.
Step Six: Fill with dulce de leche. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of dulce de leche into each indentation. Finish with a pinch of flaky sea salt if desired. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for five minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Hint: Dip the teaspoon in flour before forming the thumbprints to prevent sticking.
Expert Tips
- Use a spherical measuring spoon: A 1/2 teaspoon spherical spoon creates a consistently shaped indentation.
- Lightly flour the spoon: Prevents the dough from sticking when you press the thumbprint.
- Don’t press too deep: Overly deep indentations can crack the cookie or cause the filling to leak. If cracks appear, gently press the dough back together.
Recipe FAQs
Dulce de leche is a thick, caramel-colored confection made by slowly heating sweetened condensed milk until it develops a rich caramel flavor and color.
Dulce de leche works well in cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and as a topping for ice cream or pancakes. It pairs especially well with chocolate and nuts.
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. Freeze for up to two weeks.
More Recipes You Will Love
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Dulce de Leche Cupcakes
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Dulce de Leche Chocolate Cake
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Condensed Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Banana Nutella Cookies
Did you try this recipe or another from the site? Please leave a star rating and a comment below — I’d love to hear how they turned out!
Dulce de Leche Cookies
Natalie
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
Chocolate Cookies
- ¾ cup (170.25 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup (156.25 g) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (28.67 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- ½ teaspoon salt
Dulce De Leche Filling
- Store-bought dulce de leche (or homemade)
- Flaky sea salt, optional
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Whisk together the flour, salt, and sifted cocoa powder. Set aside.
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In a mixer, beat the butter until creamy (1–2 minutes). Add sugar and mix until combined. Add vanilla and the egg yolk and blend until just combined. Scrape the bowl and, with the mixer on low, beat in the dry ingredients until just incorporated.
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Form dough into 1-tablespoon balls, roll smooth between your hands, and arrange on the prepared baking sheets.
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Press a thumb or the bottom of a spherical ½ teaspoon into each ball to form an indentation. Lightly flour the spoon if it sticks. Avoid pressing too deeply to prevent cracking.
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Bake for 12–14 minutes. Remove from oven and, if needed, reshape the indentations with a rounded teaspoon. Fill each cavity with about ½ teaspoon dulce de leche and sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired.
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Cool on the baking sheet for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates from an online calculator and should be used as a guide.