Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

I don’t know about you, but when I think about thumbprints, I almost always think of them filled with jelly or jam and they usually only show up around the holidays. The thing is, I’m not a huge jam person. I mean, I love my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches just as much as the next gal (well, maybe even more so, I do loooove my peanut butter!), but even then, the peanut butter to jelly ratio has to be very high. It always seems too sweet to me, so I’ve never been a huge fan of thumbprint cookies for that reason. Well, thumbprint cookies minus the jam and plus chocolate? Awesome. Totally awesome. The base for the cookie is a really simple shortbread dough made with just butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, salt and flour, which makes for a delicious buttery cookie that melts in your mouth.

The original recipe for these thumbprints calls for using your thumb to make the indentations in the middle of these cookies (hence, why they’re called thumbprints). But umm… the cookies are really freakin’ hot out of the oven! I tried one and was not about to subject my thumb to any additional cruel and unusual punishment for the sake of cookies. I used the back of a melon baller to make the indentations and that worked great. No one will ever know the difference

One year ago: Anadama Bread
Two years ago: Chicken Fajita Enchiladas
Three years ago: Dark Chocolate Chip Scones

Chocolate Thumbprints

Yield: 2 dozen cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Bake Time: 10 minutes

10 tablespoons (1¼ sticks) unsalted butter, divided
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
¾ teaspoon corn syrup

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside. If you are not using parchment or a silicone baking mat, you do not need to grease the baking sheet.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together 1 stick of the butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in the flour, beginning on low speed and increasing to medium-high.

3. Using a small cookie scoop or heaping teaspoons, roll the dough into balls, and place 1-inch apart on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven, and make an indentation into the middle of each cookie. Return to oven, and bake until light brown on the edges, 7 to 9 minutes more. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

4. Combine chocolate, 2 tablespoons butter, and corn syrup in a small heat-proof bowl. Set over a pot of simmering water; stir occasionally until melted and smooth. (Alternately, you can microwave the mixture on 50% power in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until completely melted and smooth.) Allow to cool slightly. When cookies are cool, fill the thumbprints with the chocolate mixture.

(Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Living, December/January 1994/1995)

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