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    Chocolate Espresso Irish Cream Thumbprint Cookies

    March 12, 2022 by Chrissy Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    These thumbprint cookies are a soft and chewy chocolate mocha cookie filled with a super creamy milk chocolate and Irish cream ganache. These cookies will leave the deliciously subtle taste of Irish cream dancing on your tongue. 

    A straight on shot of a stack of chocolate Irish cream thumbprint cookies sitting on a black wire cooling rack lined with parchment paper. A bottle of Irish cream is in the background.


    INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THE COOKIES

    Alright, let's get baking! To begin, you'll start by making the cookies first. No crazy ingredients needed. Here's everything you'll need:

    • All-purpose flour

    • Cocoa powder

    • Baking soda

    • Salt

    • Espresso powder

    • Granulated + brown sugar

    • Unsalted butter

    • Egg

    • Vanilla extract

    A stack of chocolate Irish cream thumbprint cookies sitting on a black wire cooling rack lined with parchment paper. A bottle of Irish cream and a jar of extra ganache is in the background.


    MAKING THE COOKIES

    To start the cookies, begin by creaming together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.  Add in the egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Next, add in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder. Mix until everything is combined and the dough has no floury streaks.

    Using a small cookie scoop, scoop dough, and roll it into a ball. Roll the ball of dough in the granulated sugar, and place on a baking sheet lined with a baking mat or parchment paper. Place balls of dough about an inch and a half apart. Repeat with the remaining dough.

    Using a ¼ teaspoon, gently press an indent into each ball of dough, being sure not to press down too hard. Pop in the oven and bake at 350°F for 8-9 minutes. Remove them from the oven, transfer to a cooling rack, and allow them to cool completely.

    Now it's time to make the ganache! 

    An overhead shot of Irish cream cookies spread out on a white background. A spoon with melted chocolate is on the side of the photo.


    INGREDIENTS FOR THE GANACHE FILLING


    Now it's time to make what might be considered the best part of the cookie-- the Irish cream ganache! This luscious ganache is going to get drizzled into the wells of each cookie. 

    • Heavy cream

    • Irish cream

    • Milk chocolate, chopped

    • Espresso powder


    MAKING THE GANACHE 

    Measure out the heavy cream and irish cream. Microwave  Microwave it for 30 seconds. Give it a quick stir, and microwave for another 30 seconds. Chop up the milk chocolate and add it into the warm cream. Allow it to sit for about 5 minutes, giving time for the chocolate to melt. After 5 minutes, add espresso powder and pinch of salt, and mix everything together with a fork or a small whisk.  Allow it to cool for about 20 minutes or so before filling your cookies. And that’s it– you’ve got your ganache!

    **If you don't like milk chocolate, you can definitely use a different chocolate for the ganache. I've made these with dark chocolate, and a mix of milk and white chocolate, and all were delicious!

    An angled photo of an Irish cream thumbprint cookie with a bite taken out of it. A few other cookies are scattered around the photo.


    TIPS FOR THE BEST COOKIES

    1. Re-press the wells of the cookies. As these cookies bake, the indents in the centers of the cookies will puff up slightly. Once the cookies are done baking and out of the oven, take a teaspoon measuring spoon and gently press the centers of the cookies back down.

    2. Let the ganache set. Once you fill the wells of the cookies with the Irish cream ganache, be sure to give them a few hours to set, so that the ganache has time to harden a bit. If you try to eat the cookies right away, the ganache might be messy and drip out of the cookie. You can speed up the process by popping the cookies in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

    An angled photo of an Irish cream thumbprint cookie with a bite taken out of it. A few other cookies are scattered around the photo. A jar of chocolate ganache is in the background.

    If you give this recipe a try and love it, be sure to leave a comment and star rating! Be sure to tag @thehungrykitchenblog on Instagram so I can see all of your delicious bakes! Happy baking! ♥

    Chocolate Espresso Irish Cream Thumbprint Cookies

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    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 9 minutes mins
    Total Time 29 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Servings 28 cookies

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 cup all-purpose flour
    • ¼ cup cocoa powder
    • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 2 tablespoons espresso powder
    • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
    • ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
    • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
    • 1 egg
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    Ganache

    • 6 oz milk chocolate, chopped
    • ¼ cup heavy cream
    • ¼ cup Irish cream
    • ½ teaspoon espresso powder

    Other

    • ¼ cup granulated sugar, for rolling

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and set it aside. Get a bowl and put the ¼ cup of granulated sugar for rolling the cookie dough in and set aside.
    • Cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy; about 1-2 minutes. Beat together for about a minute until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract, and mix until combined.
    • Add in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder. Mix one more time until the dough forms.
    • Using a small cookie scoop, scoop dough and roll into balls. Once rolled into balls, roll into the granulated sugar, and place on the prepared baking sheet, about an inch and a half apart.
    • Bake the cookies for 8-9 minutes. The indents will have puffed up a bit, so you will have to slightly press them down again with the ¼ teaspoon. Allow them to rest about 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely. Repeat until all of the cookies are baked.
    • Add the heavy cream and Irish cream to a microwave safe cup/bowl, microwave for 30 seconds. Give it a quick stir, and microwave for another 30 seconds. Add the chopped milk chocolate to the heavy cream, and let it sit for 5 minutes, giving time for the chocolate to melt. After 5 minutes, add the espresso powder and pinch of salt and mix everything together with a fork or a small whisk. Allow the ganache to cool for about 15-20 minutes. It will thicken as it cools.
    •  Pour the ganache into the indents of the cooled cookies. Allow the ganache to set. You can speed up the process by placing the cookies into the fridge for about 30 minutes to allow the ganache to set. Once set, enjoy!
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Hi, I'm Chrissy! I am the recipe developer and food photographer for The Hungry Kitchen! I love creating decadent desserts that everyone can make and enjoy!

    More about me →

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