If you’re a cookie enthusiast, you’re definitely going to adore my favorite Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies! The only issue I face with these irresistible treats is my inability to stop munching on them. Even my daughter constantly requests that I bake them.
They’re bound to quickly become a cherished favorite in your family too!
While we’re on the topic of homemade cookies, another hit in our family is my mom, Amy’s Almond Cookie. Trust me, you’ll want to try making these too – they’re a real treat!
Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
- Butter Temperature: If your butter is too soft or melted, it can cause the cookies to spread too much. Butter should be soft enough to cream but still hold its shape.
- Sugar Ratio: An excess of sugar, especially granulated sugar, can lead to cookie spread. Brown sugar contains more moisture and can help the cookies hold their shape better.
- Egg Yolk Size: Larger egg yolks can add more fat and moisture, potentially leading to flatter cookies. Ensure you’re using the size of egg yolk specified in the recipe.
- Flour Measurement: Not measuring the flour correctly can also be an issue. Too little flour can cause cookies to spread. It’s best to weigh flour for accuracy or use the spoon and level method for measuring.
- Oven Temperature: An oven that’s not hot enough might not set the cookies quickly enough, leading to spreading. Make sure your oven is properly preheated.
- Baking Sheet Preparation: Using too much non-stick spray or butter on your baking sheet can cause the cookies to spread. Try using parchment paper instead.
- Chilling the Dough: If the recipe doesn’t call for chilling the dough, you might try doing so. Chilled dough spreads less during baking.
BAKING POWDER: I made a few tweaks to the recipe. First off, I decided to skip the baking powder that the original recipe called for. Then, I tried chilling the dough, which makes a crunchy cookie. But if you’re in a hurry, I found it didn’t seem to make a significant difference.
FLOUR: However, the real game-changer was adding just a little more flour. It was a small adjustment, but it worked wonders in preventing the cookies from spreading. Just a tiny bit more flour did the trick!
THUMBPRINT: I created the round indentation in the cookies using the back of a 1/2 teaspoon. This was done prior to baking, and I had to do it again once they came out of the oven because the indentation had faded. It’s important to press gently when indenting after baking, as the cookie dough is more prone to cracking at the sides at this stage. If you make a bigger cookie than use a bigger measuring spoon to create the thumbprint.
Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie
- 1 cup butter at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar firmly packed
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup cookie sprinkles can substitute with turbinado sugar
Chocolate Ganache
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips I use 60% cocoa
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Oven temperature 350°
Cookie
- In a bowl, with an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smooth.
- Beat in egg yolks and vanilla until blended, scraping sides of bowl as needed.
- In another bowl, mix flour and salt.
- With the mixer on low speed, beat flour mixture into butter mixture until well blended.
- Place the turbinado sugar in a shallow bowl.
- Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll in the turbinado sugar to coat.
- Place the cookies 1 inch apart on buttered cookie sheet. You can skip coating the sheet with butter and use parchment paper instead.
- Press your thumb into the center of each cookie to make a 1/2 inch indentation.
- Refrigerate cookies for 30 minutes or longer.
- Bake cookies in at 350° oven until lightly browned, about 10 to 12 minutes; if baking more than one pan at a time, switch pan positions halfway through baking.
- Transfer cookies to a rack to cool completely. If the indentations disappear, make them again while the cookies are warm.
- Make Chocolate Ganache at this time.
- Carefully fill each indentation with about 1 tsp chocolate ganache.
- Let stand until ganache is shiny and firm to touch, about 1 hour. You can chill them for about 30 minutes if desired.
Chocolate Ganache
- In a microwave bowl, cook for 2 minutes and stir every 15 seconds until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Do not over-melt and heat; the chocolate will dry and harden. When it looks like the chips are almost all melted, pull them from the microwave and mix them thoroughly. The mixing will disperse the heat and melt the remaining chocolate.
- Add the cream and mix. Allow for the chocolate to cool and thicken. Using a spoon, place a dollop of chocolate in the middle of the cookie. You may have to fix the shape with a spoon or knife. Let the cookies sit, and allow the chocolate to set up and harden.
Nutrition
Just a little side note, Turbinado sugar is a golden-brown large-crystal sugar sometimes labeled raw sugar or Demerara sugar. It is usually available in natural food stores and some chain supermarkets.
You definitely want to make these chocolate thumbprint cookies rolled in this wonderful grainy sugar. And as I mentioned below, I love the coarse cookie sprinkles for crunch, flavor and appearance.
I’ll try and grab some photos of my recent cookies covered in sugar sprinkles!
CRISPINESS: To get that slightly crispier exterior and chewy interior, it’s best to chill the cookie dough for at least 30 minutes. I think the cold dough probably helps the outside crisp up while baking, and because it takes a bit longer to cook through the middle, you end up with a chewy center. However, if you’re pressed for time and need to skip the chilling step, the differences in texture aren’t overly noticeable.
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