Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

These chocolate thumbprint cookies are the perfect cookies for the festive season and beyond! They are soft and extra-chocolatey, and filled with silky-smooth chocolate ganache and festive sprinkles. Perfect for sharing with the loved ones, and great to use as the edible gift for friends and family!

The cookies are made with only a handful of ingredients and require a short chilling time, making them a great recipe for any novice or less experienced bakers. They will also be great to make with kids!

Festive season is upon us, and if like me, you love baking cookies during this time of year, then these thumbprint cookies should definitely be added to your christmas cookie list! With soft and crisp texture, extra-chocolatey flavour, smooth, creamy ganache and festive sprinkles, they are truly hard to resist.

Just like my Chocolate Brownie Cookies recipe, these cookies have really intense, chocolatey flavour, but are not fudgy or gooey. It's also one of these recipes that can be adapted into many different versions, with variety of flavours and ingredients.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Making ganache
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Top tip
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Ingredients

Here's the list of the ingredients you will need to make these chocolate cookies:

• For the cookies - you will need flour, cocoa powder, sugar, butter, egg, vanilla extract, coffee extract and some salt.
• For the ganache - double/ heavy cream and dark or milk chocolate (or both)
• Festive sprinkles for decorating (optional)

Instructions

Start with creaming the butter and sugar together until they are pale and fluffy. Once creamed, add an egg, vanilla and coffee extract.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour and cocoa powder with salt. Tip the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and mix until just combined.

Using the small cookie scoop or a measuring spoon (I used 1 tablespoon per cookie), scoop small amounts of the cookie dough and roll it into balls using your hands.

Place each cookie ball on a baking sheet lined with baking paper or silicone mat, spacing them about 3-4cm apart. Make small indent in the middle of each cookie. You can use your thumb, or a back of smaller measuring spoon to do this. I used the back of a teaspoon measure.

Place the cookies in the fridge for about 30-40 minutes, allowing the butter to firm up a bit. Remove from the fridge and bake them for 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheet half way through.

Hint: Placing the cookies in the fridge will solidify the butter and stop cookies from spreading too much in the oven.

Remove the cookies from the oven. Allow them to cool for 5 minutes, while you prepare the ganache.

Hint: If the indent in the middle of cookies has lost it's definition and got flat during baking, gently press the centre of each cookie with the back of the spoon, while they are still warm.

Fill each cookie with the chocolate ganache and add sprinkles on top.

Making ganache

Ganache should be made with equal parts of cream to chocolate. When preparing chocolate ganache, things may go slightly wrong. Follow the below tips to make sure it turns out perfect:

• Bring the cream to gentle boil. As soon as the bubbles start to appear on the surface, remove the pan from the heat.
• Chop the chocolate into smaller pieces, it will be much easier and quicker to melt.
• Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and allow it to sit for 30 seconds.
• Stir the mixture well, until it is smooth, shiny and glossy.
• Use the ganache straight away.

If your ganache splits or becomes grainy, you may still be able to salvage it. Place the bowl with ganache over a pan of gently simmering water to warm it up. Stir it vigorously, until it all comes together again.

If that doesn't work, try vigorously whisking in a small amount of room temperature milk into it, until it comes together again.

Substitutions

See below for some swaps you can make within the ingredients of this recipe:

• Flour - you can use all purpose / plain flour, wholemeal flour or even gluten-free flour.
• Sugar - I normally use caster sugar, but also made this recipe with soft light brown sugar, and a mix of both. It will work with granulated sugar too.
• Cocoa powder - Use good quality alkalized cocoa powder (Dutch processed cocoa for my American readers).
• Vanilla extract - Adding vanilla is a must for almost any baking recipe, especially cookies! It enhances the flavour and adds subtle aroma to the bake.
• Coffee extract - This is optional. Coffee extract adds more complexity and intensifies the chocolate flavour. You will not taste coffee in your cookies!
• Butter - Salted or unsalted butter will be fine to use.
• Egg - Use large or medium egg.
• Double cream - To make ganache, double cream (or heavy cream) is a must. It needs to have higher fat content. Using single cream or the cream with lower fat content will not set the ganache properly.
• Chocolate - You can use any type of dark or milk chocolate. I opted for 70% cocoa dark chocolate.

Variations

One of the best things about these delicious cookies is the fact that you can easily adapt this recipe. From different versions of the cookie dough, to variety of fillings, here are few ideas to get you started:

• Different fillings - instead of using ganache, you can use your favourite jam, curd, peanut butter or any type of spread. I love these Cherry Thumbprint Cookies recipe, which makes a great alternative.
• Change the cookie dough - instead of adding cocoa powder to the cookie dough, replace it with the same amount of flour. Skip the coffee extract and add extra spoon of vanilla to turn them into vanilla flavoured cookies. You could also add some chocolate chips to the cookie dough.
• Enhance the flavour - add some grated orange or lemon zest to the cookie dough, or couple of drops of peppermint extract to add extra flavour and turn them into chocolate peppermint cookies.
• Use chopped nuts - finely chop some hazelnuts, walnuts or pecans, and sprinkle them on top of ganache or your choice of filling.
• Red velvet cookies with cheesecake filling- follow this recipe from Bake from Scratch website for this fun version of thumbprint cookies!

Equipment

Here's what you will need to make this easy recipe:

• Handheld electric mixer or standing mixer with the paddle attachment.
• Baking sheets (one large or two small baking sheets).
• Baking/ parchment paper or silicone mat.
• Small cookie scoop or 1 tablespoon measuring spoon (both are optional, but will help to make sure each cookie is similar in size).
• Piping bag with nozzle (optional).

Storage

Thumbprint cookies will store well up to 5-7 days. Keep them in the airtight container at room temperature.

They also freeze really well, for up to three months. Place them in the freezer-friendly container or bag, and keep in the freezer. Thaw them in the fridge overnight, then bring to room temperature before eating.

You can also freeze unbaked cookie dough for up to three months. Wrap it tightly in cling film or reusable wrap, and place in the freezer-friendly bag or container. Thaw it overnight in the fridge.

Chocolate ganache can be kept in the fridge for up to two weeks. You can also freeze it. To freeze, transfer it to resealable container and place in the freezer for up to three months.

Thaw the ganache in the fridge overnight. It may still be a bit hard to use so you will need to place it somewhere warm for an hour or so (until it is spreadable), or pop it in the microwave for 10-20 secs, or place it in a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, stirring it regularly.

Top tip

If the cookie dough is too soft or becomes too sticky to roll it and work it with, place it in the fridge for 15-12 minutes.

You can add the ganache to the cookies by simply spooning it out or transfer it to the piping bag fitted with the plain nozzle and pipe it directly into the centre of the cookies.

📖 Recipe

This recipe was originally published in November 2017. It has been updated with the new photos, video, revised recipe and tips in December 2021.