Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
The perfect Christmas cookie! These Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies are made of a buttery vanilla cookie and filled with a bourbon-infused chocolate ganache. Simple, but decadent!
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 12 min
- Yield
- 30 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar (tightly packed)
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract*
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste** (optional)
- 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup coarse sugar for rolling (turbinado or organic cane sugar both work well)
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ Tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon bourbon (optional)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- 1
Using an electric mixer, beat butter until well creamed.
- 2
Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds.
- 3
Add egg yolk, vanilla extract, and vanilla paste (if using), and stir well, pausing to scrape down the sides and mixing until ingredients are well-combined.
- 4
Add flour, gradually (about ½ cup at a time), pausing to scrape down sides of bowl. Halfway through the addition of the flour, sprinkle in the salt with the beater still running.
- 5
Roll cookie dough into approximately 1" balls and roll through the coarse sugar until completely covered in sugar. Place on a wax paper lined plate and use your thumb to create an indent/crater in the center.
- 6
Transfer cookie dough balls to freezer and chill for at least 30 minutes (this will keep cookies from spreading too much).
- 7
Preheat oven to 375F (190C) and prepare a cookie sheet by lining with parchment paper (if you don't have parchment paper, just use an ungreased cookie sheet).
- 8
Once oven is preheated, remove cookie dough from freezer and transfer to prepared baking sheet, spacing cookies at least 1 ½" apart. Bake for 12 minutes.
- 9
Remove from oven and immediately use a rounded teaspoon to re-indent the thumbprints, if needed.
- 10
Allow cookies to cool while you prepare the ganache filling.
- 11
Combine chocolate chips, heavy cream, and butter in a small saucepan over medium-heat. Stir frequently until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is smooth.
- 12
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract, bourbon, and salt. Stir well.
- 13
Allow mixture to sit and cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
- 14
Use a spoon to pour chocolate ganache into the crater of each prepared thumbprint cookie. Ganache will set after about 1 hour at room temperature or you can put them in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to speed up the process (cookies taste best at room temperature though).