Description
Delight in these rich and fudgy Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies filled with luscious homemade chocolate ganache. Perfectly soft with a cocoa-flavored dough and a gooey chocolate center, these cookies will satisfy any chocoholic’s cravings with every bite.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies:
- 1 1/2 cups (188 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1/2 cup (40 g) Dutch process cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 cup (168 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup (165 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated white sugar
- 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
For the Chocolate Ganache:
- 1 cup (200 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream
- Nonpareils for sprinkling on top (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare Baking Sheets: Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside to ensure cookies don’t stick and bake evenly.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder until well combined. Set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: Using an electric mixer, cream softened butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar together for 2 minutes until smooth and fluffy.
- Add Egg Yolks and Vanilla: Mix in egg yolks and vanilla bean paste/extract until the mixture turns pale and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
- Combine Dry and Wet Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing just until combined to avoid overworking the dough.
- Portion Dough: Scoop dough into 34 equal portions, about 1 tablespoon each, and roll each portion into a ball.
- Arrange on Baking Sheets: Place dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets.
- Create Indents: Use a 1/4 teaspoon to press down on each dough ball to make an indentation for the ganache filling.
- Chill Dough: Refrigerate the prepared dough balls for at least 1 hour to firm up and maintain shape during baking.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) before baking.
- Arrange Dough for Baking: Space the chilled dough balls approximately 1 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets.
- Bake Cookies: Bake for 9-11 minutes, ideally around 10 minutes, until set but still soft.
- Refine Indents and Shape: While cookies are hot, lightly press the centers again with a 1/4 teaspoon and optionally use a circular cookie or biscuit cutter to perfect the shape and size.
- Cool Cookies: Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare Ganache: Place chocolate chips in a small bowl. Heat heavy cream until nearly boiling, pour over chocolate, and let sit for 1 minute before stirring until smooth and glossy.
- Fill Indents: Spoon about 1 teaspoon of ganache into the center well of each cooled cookie. Add more if the indent allows.
- Add Sprinkles: If desired, sprinkle nonpareils or other decorations on top of the ganache-filled cookies.
- Chill to Set: Refrigerate cookies for 10-15 minutes to allow ganache to solidify and set firmly.
- Store Leftovers: Keep final cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Notes
- Measure your flour properly: Always spoon flour into your measuring cup and level it off, or better yet, weigh your flour for best accuracy. 1 cup of all-purpose flour equals 125 grams. Scooping directly from the bag can lead to too much flour and dense, dry cookies.
- Room temperature egg yolks help achieve better mixing and texture in the cookie dough.
- Chilling the dough before baking helps maintain shape and prevents spreading.
- Re-pressing the cookie centers after baking helps keep the well defined for ganache filling.
- Use Dutch process cocoa powder for a richer chocolate flavor; substitute with natural cocoa if needed but expect slight variation in taste and color.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 70mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
