My chocolate thumbprint cookies are rich, chocolate cookies filled with a luscious, silky chocolate ganache! I make these and serve them year-round but they are perfect for holiday baking. The double chocolate combo is always a winner!
These are also fun to make with the kids. They love to shape them and make the wells. Then when they’re baked and filled, kids love to add the nonpareils or jimmies.
If you’re looking to fill out your Christmas cookie tray, check out my Christmas cookie recipes! We adore frosted chocolate Christmas cookies, brownie cookies, and chocolate biscotti!
Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies Ingredients
Cookies:
- Butter: I use unsalted butter.
- Sugar: Granulated.
- Egg Yolk: I use large eggs. Bring the egg to room temperature before separating it.
- Whole Milk: At room temperature.
- Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla not imitation.
- All-purpose Flour: Use a medium gluten all-purpose flour like Gold Medal unbleached all-purpose flour.
- Cocoa: I use Hershey’s Cocoa 100% natural cocoa powder with great results. It’s cocoa that hasn’t been Dutch-processed so it still contains cocoa’s natural acids.
- Salt: Enhances flavor and aids in tenderness.
Chocolate Ganache Filling:
- Chocolate Chips: I use semisweet morsels. Feel free to use your favorite.
- Heavy Whipping Cream
Decorations Optional:
- Jimmies, Sprinkles, Nonpareils
Tips For Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
- Measuring Dough: I use a medium cookie scoop to measure out the dough with the dough leveled off.
- Shaping: Roll the scooped dough into balls and use a 1/2-inch rounded measuring spoon to make the well. I also use the end of a wooden spoon to help shape the well. I like to make it as big as possible. The dough is very soft at this point so the shape of the cookies may not be as sharp as you like. See below.
- Refrigerate The shaped cookies for 2-30 minutes to firm up the butter. Take out and refine the shape of the cookies as desired.
- After Baking: Cookies’ shape can also be refined by re-pressing after baking and they’re warm.
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
- How To Store: Store leftovers in an air-tight container for up to three days.
- Can You Freeze This? You can freeze the baked cooled cookies, in an airtight container, for 6-8 months.
- Make-Ahead: You can make the entire cookie the day before serving and store it in an airtight container. Or, make the cookies on day 1 then make the ganache and fill them on day 2 and serve once the chocolate sets.
- Food Safety: If you want to know more about cookie storing tips, check this link. For the cookie dough, here it is.
Variations
- Fill with Jelly: Instead of making and filling with homemade ganache, fill with your favorite, seedless preserves. I love to use, “Bonne Maman” mixed berries preserves. Strawberry, red raspberry or apricot preserves work nicely as well.
- Hershey’s Kisses: You can also use a candy kiss as I do in my peanut butter blossoms. If you chose to use the kisses, unwrap the candies and freeze them completely. Form the cookies into balls and bake (no indentations). As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, press a frozen kiss in the center. the edges may crack. Some of the cracks can be smoothed out while the cookies are warm.
How To Make Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
- Mix the butter mixture
- Combine the flour mixture
- Mix.
- Combine flour mixture and butter mixture.
- Mix well.
- Indent measuring spoon to the cookie.
- Place chocolate chips in a bowl.
- Melt milk and chocolate.
- Bake. Assemble.
***See the full instructions below.
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More Chocolate Christmas Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
- Magic Middle Peanut Butter Cookies
- Chocolate Spritz Cookies
- Chocolate Biscotti
- Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
My chocolate thumbprint cookies are rich, chocolate cookies filled with a luscious, silky chocolate ganache! I make these and serve them year-round!
Servings: 24 cookies
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Chocolate Ganache Filling:
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Decorations Optional:
- jimmies, sprinkles, nonpareils
Instructions
Make The Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C) degrees. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a stand-up mixer using a paddle attachment, on medium speed, cream together butter (1/2 cup) and sugar (2/3 cup), until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the egg yolk (1), milk (2 tablespoons). and vanilla (1 teaspoon) and beat until combined.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together flour (1 cup), cocoa (1/3 cup), and salt (1/4 teaspoon).
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix well.
- Shape dough using a medium cookie scoop then roll into a ball.
- Place balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Using 1/2-teaspoon measure, make an indentation in center of each ball. Refrigerate for 2-30 minutes.
- Bake until set, about 10-12 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking.
Make The Chocolate Ganache Filling:
- Place the chocolate chips (1 cup) in a mixing small bowl.
- Heat the heavy whipping cream (1/2 cup) in the microwave, or on the stove, until just about boiling.
- Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate chips and let sit for 1 minute.
- Briskly whisk together the cream and chocolate until smooth.
Assemble:
- Fill each well of the cookies with ganache.
- Chill the cookies in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to allow the ganache to set.
- If desired, garnish with jimmies, sprinkles, or nonpareils.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Measuring Dough: I use a medium cookie scoop to measure out the dough with the dough leveled off.
- Shaping: Roll the scooped dough into balls and use a 1/2-inch rounded measuring spoon to make the well. I also use the end of a wooden spoon to help shape the well. I like to make it as big as possible. The dough is very soft at this point so the shape of the cookies may not be as sharp as you like. See below.
- Refrigerate The shaped cookies for 2-30 minutes to firm up the butter. Take out and refine the shape of the cookies as desired.
- After Baking: Cookies’ shape can also be refined by re-pressing after baking and they’re warm.
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For me, this is an all-year cookies, I just replace the sprinkle colors to match the holiday
Couldn’t agree more! Thanks, Jeanie!
Hi Kathleen! Would you please tell me how many tsp/Tbsp your medium scoop is? There’s NO uniformity between manufacturers, unfortunately.
Thanks in advance!
Hi, Terry. Here’s an answer from Cake Journal: “The number 40, a medium cookie scoop with a capacity of 1 1/2 tablespoons will be the workhorse of your different cookie scoop sizes.”