Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies

I know there are plenty of people out there who don't like the combination of chocolate and peppermint, or even peppermint foods in general... and I absolutely will never understand those people. Chocolate and peppermint is such a classic holiday flavor combination, and one of my personal favorites! These little thumbprint cookies have a thick, rich chocolate cookie, a decadent chocolate peppermint ganache center, and (optional) crushed candy canes and white chocolate drizzle on top!

INGREDIENTS FOR MAKING CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT THUMBPRINT COOKIES

To start this recipe, you're first going to make the chocolate cookies. It's a rich, chocolaty cookie that is soft and chewy, with a slight crunch from being rolled in sugar before baking. For the dough, here's everything you'll need.

• All-purpose flour

• Cocoa powder

• Baking soda

• Salt

• Unsalted butter

• Granulated sugar + brown sugar

• Egg + egg yolk

• Vanilla extract

• More granulated sugar for rolling

MAKING THE COOKIES

Making these cookies is super easy and takes just a few minutes! Here's exactly how to make them.

1. Cream together the butter and sugars until mixture is fluffy. Add in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and mix until combined.

2. Add in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until everything is combined and the dough has no floury streaks.

3. 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.

4. 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.

MAKING THE CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT GANACHE

Making ganache is actually say easier than you might think. To make this chocolate peppermint ganache, you only need 3 ingredients! Here's what you'll need:

• Heavy cream

• Semisweet chocolate

• Peppermint extract

To make the ganache, chop up the semisweet chocolate bar. Microwave heavy cream for 30 seconds. Give it a quick stir, and microwave for another 30 seconds. Add in the chopped chocolate to the heavy cream, and let it sit for 5 minutes, giving time for the chocolate to melt. After 5 minutes, add the peppermint extract, and mix everything together with a fork or a small whisk. And that's it-- you've got your ganache!

THINGS TO KNOW WHEN MAKING THESE COOKIES

After lots of time spent testing this recipe, there are a few points to mention to make sure you end up with the best cookies possible!

Be sure to make the indent small. I tried different sized indents to see how it would affect the cookie. What I found is that the larger the indent, the wider the cookie spreads. I use a ¼ teaspoon to make the indent, and the cookie keeps its shape and

You do not need to chill the dough. For each batch I tested for these cookies, I would test half of it chilled and half not chilled. There was no significant difference with the chilled dough, so they can be baked right away!

Hoping these little chocolate peppermint thumbprints bring some joy to your holiday season! Happy baking 🙂

Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies

Recipe by Chrissy

Servings

28-30

cookies

Prep/Chill time

50

minutes

Cooking time

9

minutes

Total time

59

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour

• 6 tablespoons cocoa powder

• ¾ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ½ cup light brown sugar, packed

• ⅓ cup granulated sugar

• 1 egg + 1 egg yolk

• 10 tablespoons unsalted, softened

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Chocolate Peppermint Ganache

• ½ cup heavy cream

• 4oz semisweet chocolate

• ½ teaspoon peppermint extract

• Sugar for Rolling

• ⅓ cup granulated sugar

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Get a bowl and put the ⅓ cup of granulated sugar for rolling the cookie dough in and set aside.
• In a mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat together for about a minute until light and fluffy. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract.
• Add in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until everything is combined and a thick 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. Remove from the oven. The indents will have puffed up a bit, so you will have to slightly press down 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.
• Measure out the heavy cream and in a microwave safe cup/bowl, microwave for 30 seconds. Give it a quick stir, and microwave for another 30 seconds. Add the chopped semisweet chocolate to the heavy cream, and let it sit for 5 minutes, giving time for the chocolate to melt. After 5 minutes, add the peppermint extract, and mix everything together with a fork or a small whisk.
• Pour the ganache into the indents of the cooled cookies. Sprinkle crushed candy canes on top and drizzle with white chocolate, if desired. Place cookies into the fridge for about 30 minutes to allow the ganache to set. Enjoy!