Chocolate Sprinkle Thumbprint Cookies
Raise your hand if ever in your life you have struggled with a recipe. My hand is waaaaaay up there (well, as high up as it can get when you’re only 5’1). Sometimes it’s cupcake batter that runneth over and spills all over the inside of the oven. Sometimes it’s a cake that ends up looking like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Sometimes it’s an experiment gone terribly (and inedible-y) awry. Sometimes it’s trying to recreate a favorite treat from a restaurant or bakery and you just.can’t.get.it.right. These have all happened to me (some, many times over!), but today, I’m focusing on that last one – recreating a favorite treat. Here in Pittsburgh, Giant Eagle is our large supermarket chain, and their bakery sells the most addicting cookies ever – Chocolate Thumbprints with Sprinkles.
These are, without question, my Chief Culinary Consultant’s favorite store-bought cookie and he has done a fabulous job of getting me completely addicted to them. Approximately one out of every two times we wander into the grocery store, we wander out with a dozen of those cookies. Then, we promptly polish them off in less time than I care to admit. For the longest time, I have been trying to recreate those little devils, and I’ve finally got something close!
The cookies from Giant Eagle are not crispy, but they’re not soft or chewy either; rather, they’re very tender. They crumble a little bit when you bite into them, but then they have some give. The cookie is only the first part of the equation; once we get past that part, it’s figuring out the frosting. To be quite honest, it tastes pretty much like chocolate frosting from a can, which normally I’m all “bleh” about, but oh my, on these cookies… I want to swim in it. Turns out, it’s pretty darn difficult to try to make frosting from scratch that tastes like frosting from a can. Shocking, right? I think that’s probably a good thing, but doesn’t make it any easier!
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I have gone through no less than four or five iterations of these cookies, two batches of which needed to be thrown out when experiments went awry! I’ve played with different ingredients, ratios, and mixing methods and have taken copious amounts of notes on pretty much every thumbprint recipe known to man.
These babies are my pseudo-final (but-still-a-work-in-progress) version of the ever-famous Giant Eagle Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies. They are close, but I’m dying to get it as close to exact as possible. The recipe, of course, is a “Giant Eagle bakery secret” so I’m on my own! If I make any changes to the recipe below in the future, I’ll add a date and an edit note so you know what’s been changed.
What recipes have left you stumped? Or scrubbing your kitchen from top to bottom? ;-)
One year ago: Fresh Strawberry Pie
Chocolate Sprinkle Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 2½ cups (312.5 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Chocolate sprinkles
For the Chocolate Icing:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1½ cups (180 g) powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup (28.67 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 4 tablespoons whole milk
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt; set aside. Pour the chocolate sprinkles into a small bowl; set aside.
- Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream together the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture. Once it is mostly incorporated, slowly increase the speed back to medium-high and beat for another minute or so until a dough forms.
- Scoop out a tablespoon of dough, roll it into a ball, and then roll it in the chocolate sprinkles and place it on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing your cookies about 1½ inches apart on the baking sheet. Make a slight indentation with your thumb (or the back of a melon baller - my favorite tool for this task) on the tops of all the cookies. Bake for 10 minutes, then make a deeper indentation in the middle, and bake for an additional 8 minutes. The cookies should not brown much at all around the edges. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, make the chocolate icing for the filling. Beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes, or until light and creamy. Reduce speed to low, add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder and mix until combined, then increase the speed to medium and beat until smooth. Add the milk and the vanilla extract and beat until light and fluffy. Add more powdered sugar or milk to achieve the desired consistency.
- Once the cookies are cool, pipe some frosting into the middle of each cookie (or you can spoon it in). Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
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I use a recipe my mom gave me and I don’t know how the cookie compares to GE’s. It’s been a while since I’ve had one of theirs, even though I pass one everyday! The recipe I use is 1c butter, 1/2 c sugar, 1/2 c light corn syrup, 2 egg yolks and 2 1/2 c flour. I also wanted to add that one year I made a cake for my friends daughter who is allergic to dairy, soy and nuts. For the frosting I used the soy free and dairy free earth balance margarine and rice milk instead of the traditional butter and milk. It was a chocolate frosting and when I tasted it I swore it tasted like the frosting you buy. It was actually pretty very tasty. I will be trying this with my thumbprints this year.
Happy Baking!
Thank you so much for sharing! I adore Giant Eagle cookies and had missed them terribly…had to google it and came up with you…no other recipe out there comes close…this one does. Being in Florida, I can’t get my Giant Eagle and these are now the next best thing. I found the cooking time to be a bit long for my oven..so next time around shorter for me. That’s the only change I’ve made (other than doing their rainbow sprinkle and vanilla glaze version too) I’ve only shared these cookies with a few people and everyone of them has asked me for the recipe. You’ve got a winner here….can’t thank you enough.
Thank you so much for the recipe. They turned out great! I was looking for a recipe that would emulate the cookies I buy from my local Safeway. I actually think these are better! The only thing I changed was that I used a different icing recipe. Keep up the good work!
What icing did you use? I love the Safeway cookies!
Thank GOODNESS that I found your site!! I’m a PA girl living out of state trying to explain to my British husband the intricate nature of my baking roots. The stores out here do not compare and he looked at me like I was crazy when trying to explain what a chinese cookie was :)
Hi Michelle, longtime reader but first-time commenter! I just wanted to thank you so much for developing this recipe and posting about it. I am a native Pittsburgher now living in Wisconsin and this post brought back SO many wonderful memories! I just baked up a batch and oh, they’re absolutely perfect! I even made the vanilla kind too :) (http://bit.ly/KV1XbF) Thank you again for inspiring me and making me homesick (in a good way!). Love your blog–cheers!
Hi,
I would like to make these cookies soon. My one concern is about the chocolate sprinkles, won’t they melt when u bake them together with the cookies? Hoping for an honest reply.
Hi Valery, No, they don’t completely melt. As you can see from the photo, they pretty much retain their same size/texture.
I have a thumbprint cookie that I love from a Texas-based supermarket chain (United). I have looked all over for a recipe, and while theirs don’t have sprinkles, the cookie itself looks very similar to yours. Will definitely have to try this one! Thanks!
Michelle, did you try these? Do they taste like United’s? I’ve been on the hunt for a recipe like theirs!! Love them!
These look fabulous! Waiting to try them. gonna make them soon! :D
I’d take these over Giant Eagle’s cookies any day – they look positively scrumptious (and I’ve never been a big fan of GE’s cookies anyway)… I’m featuring this post in today’s Food Fetish Friday (with a link-back and attribution). I hope you have no objections and always excited to see what you’ll create next…
I love Giant Eagle’s thumbprint cookies! Yours look exactly like them. Putting this recipe on my holiday cookie list for this year.
I grew up in Pittsburgh but have lived in Atlanta for 20 years. One of the first things I do when I get home to visit is go to Giant Eagle and get these cookies! Thanks for the recipe to try!
I’m a transplant in Boston having grown up in Pittsbugh. These cookies are my absolute favorite from Giant Eagle. The frosting is the perhaps the best part of these cookies and I’m not even partial to frosting! My craving for these is now unwavering and will most definitely be getting some on my next visit to da burgh.
For now I will try your recipe and hope for the best!! Thank you!
Thanks for the recipe. I too was raised on giant iggle thumb prints. I’m not as tempted by them now since they switched to the glaze on top. I miss the frosting swirls that would always get smashed in the box ( I guess that is why they switched…) I thought the cookie part was better a than giant eagle’s. Not sure if giant eagle uses much butter in their baked goods these days.
These little cookies are soooo cute! And they look amazingly good! Thanks for sharing this recipe, definitely something to try!
I made these yesterday and they turned out really, really good. We don’t have Giant Eagle but I would bet that no one would challenge me if I told them that I bought these cookies at a bakery. I froze them and will bring some to work and some to a party next weekend.
Your cookies look wonderful. Don’t give up; keep looking for the taste and texture you’re looking for. I’ve been looking for an Irish Soda Bread recipe that results in similar product to the one I remember from a co-worker’s mom. I worked with that person while I was in college and that was too long ago to count the years.
When I read your description of this cookie, the first thing that popped into my mind was “vinegar”, particularly cider vinegar. I’ve seen it used in recipes before when the crumb was tender. (I’m a self-confessed cookbook junkie). They look wonderful, and are probably better than the store ones, you’re just used to the others!
Okay. These look delicious!! My dad loves thumbprint cookies and I love chocolate. I should make these tomorrow for fathers day!
These look amazing!!
I am glad to hear that even you have recipe disasters! I like to think of myself as pretty proficient in the kitchen, but I have had my share of kitchen screw-ups! Just the other day I tried some cinnamon sugar cookies that ended up like a messy cookie sheet cake. Oops!
Oh man these look way better than any jam thumbprint cookie I have ever had. Glad you finally could create it at home. They look yummy!
Oh my gosh, they make a cookie like this at our grocery store in Chicago-Dominicks, which is affiliated with Safeway, called Susan cookies. They’re amazing, the crumbly cookie is a great balance for the rich fudgy top. We’re just missing the sprinkles, which would make them even more amazing, I love the texture of sprinkles. THis was just added to my “to bake” list, once my apartment is cool enough!
I for one think these cookies look absolutely amazing. While I always enjoy the traditional version with jam, I just love this chocolatey version!!
Just made these for a party we are going to tomorrow. The thumbprint cookie tastes like a shortbread cookie and the icing is delicious. Not too sweet! I can’t wait to eat more!
Courtney
These look amazing…wasn’t planning on baking this weekend but I think I have just changed my mind.
Kudos to you for taking the time to keep trying…I think they look better than the store bought ones.
These look Amazing and mouth watering!!!
Love the sprinkles!
Will try these for sure!
I’m sure someone already suggested it, but maybe you should get a “spy” job in the Giant Eagle Bakery to find out exactly how the sprinkle cookies are made! I’ve contemplated working at Panera, if for no other reason than to maybe get baking out of my system! :)
Oh. MY. Word.
These look like the “Chinese” cookies back home, which I am quite certain are not Chinese in origin.
Sub the sprinkles with some chopped walnuts and they are Chinese cookies. I have been trying to nail that frosting FOREVER! Like canned frosting, without the ickiness of canned frosting.
I can’t wait to try this one, forgive me if I roll mine in nuts :)
These look amazing! Too bad they aren’t a perfect match yet! Chocolate frosting is so hard to duplicate! I will have to try this one, it looks a lot more like what I am looking for. All the recipes I have tried are always way to light in color!
Very Cute!
These just look completely dangerous…and absolutely frickin *FANTASTIC*!!!!