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.
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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
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided, (1¼ sticks )
- ½ cup (60 g) confectioners' sugar
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1¼ cups (156.25 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 ounces (56.7 g) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- ¾ teaspoon (0.75 teaspoon) corn syrup
Instructions
- 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.
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These cookies look great and remind me of the Stella Doro Fudge filled cookies my grandmother always bought for me.
No see I can learn something new almost every day. I had no ideas these things were called “thumbprint” cookies. Why is that? It doesn’t really look like a thumbprint does it?
So nice, I always use the back of my wooden spoon.
I want to use this filling on peanut butter blossoms–just switching the Kisses for the filling. I really don’t like how the Kisses get hard after the cookies are cool and think this would be perfect!
These cookies are adorable!
Thumbprint cookies are one of my favorites. I like chocolate instead of jam in yours!
One word…..YUMMY!
I LOVE chocolate, and this looks really yummy :)
These look so good especially as I write this after mid-night! Your fantastic photography makes them even more delish! I’m going to try this recipe for sure! Thanks. :)
thy look delicious
Yes…someone mentioned it in an earlier comment – reminds me of jam thumbprints too. Chocolate filled is always great too. The crinkle texture looks so good!
These sound so good!!! HEAVEN!
I love these!! Yum!
Love the idea of thumbprints filled with chocolate. Waaaay better than jam.
Oh my gosh! I was just thinking about making thumbprint cookies, mostly because we have so many jars of jam that I wanted to use some up, but these chocolate ones look sooo yummy I mught leave the jam alone!
You should try the recipe for fudge puddles on allrecipes.com they are peanut butter cookies with fudge in the middle. Too DIE FOR!!! Its my most requested recipe
Good idea with the melon baller!
I love the chocolate filling!
Uhm … yes please. Thank you. Oh, and the perfect little circles really appeal to the neat freak in me. (It’s a really, really hidden freak.)
Precious! And you’re making me hungry.
Yum! These look sooo good to me right now. I sometimes use a wine cork for indentations in cookies like these, in case any one doesn’t have a melon baller.
Look picture perfect + delicious. I will try these and may try adding peanut butter to some of them. Thanks for a fun post. Cute little cookies.
I think it must be my inner perfectionist, but I really love how each of the chocolate thumbprints are exactly circular and just centered. Not to mention, they are really cute. :)
yeah i think so, how about decorate it like a… bear head, that will be so cute too, super cute :3
I’m so bookmarking these. Right. Now. ;-)
These look so yummy. Can’t wait to try out this recipe.
Love these Michelle! So cute and I bet they are to die for!
These look insanely delicious! I love thumbprint cookies. My mom makes them around Christmas and I snatch up as many as I can! I don’t think I can wait until December now!!
These are one of my favorite types of cookies. Ever! I once made a version that used Nutella in the cookie batter. So double chocolate hazelnut thumbprints! xxSAS
I used the chocolate ganache in the batter. Nutella would be good too. Chocolate shortbread cookies!
yum lacy!
yah karen
WOW lol a reply on reply on reply on reply. djfhlfhhvkdfhvknkehfkenrufhoernviuhejvoiuerwnvuerhvlerounver
i was JUST thinking i normally think of jam thumbprints,but it makes perfect sense to make them with chocolate! these are simple and gorgeous (and no doubt delicious too!)
This recipe reminds me of the peanut butter blossoms…which are my family’s favorite. Instead of jam or chocolate you could also put Nutella in the middle once the cookies cooled :) yum
I will definitely be trying these!