Nut Free Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
It’s my favorite time of the year! Holiday baking time! For the next four weeks I’ll be sharing some of my favorite holiday recipes. And . . . spoiler alert–most of them are cookies. We’re kicking things off today with this simple but so delicious nut free chocolate thumbprint cookie recipe.
Why You’ll Love Them:
This chocolate thumbprint recipe combines a buttery shortbread cookie with a rich, chocolatey filling. Is there anything better?
These cookies remind me of old-school bakery cookies. But better!
I grew up in New Jersey and one thing we had plenty of when I was a kid were incredible Italian bakeries. I used to love popping in after school and picking out a sweet treat. I’d take turns selecting Linzer tarts, rainbow cookies, sprinkle cookies, and chocolate button cookies. Since moving to Pennsylvania, the bakeries just aren’t the same. (Truth be told, authentic Italian bakeries are becoming few and far between in N.J. too.) So I set out to create my own recipe that mimicked those childhood memories.
This chocolate thumbprint recipe is not as pretty as an Italian bakery cookie. But it is simple to make. It only takes about an hour (plus chilling time). There’s no rolling, cutting, or fancy decorating involved. And it is delicious. Of course, it’s also nut free, which is not usually the case for bakery cookies.
And of course, it looks beautiful on a Holiday cookie tray.
How to Make Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
One fo the best things about chocolate thumbprint cookies is how easy they are to make. These cookies are great for beginners and are perfect to bake with kids.
The first step is to heat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together 1 1/2 sticks butter, 1/2 cup confectioners sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon vanilla on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. If you don’t have a stand mixer, just use a hand mixer.
Then beat in 1 1/4 cups flour, beginning on low speed and increasing to medium high until dough comes together into a ball.
Roll the dough in your hands by teaspoonfuls into balls, and place 1 inch apart on parchment paper. These cookies don’t bread much and you can bake the entire batch on one large tray. Refrigerate the chocolate thumbprint cookies for about 30 minutes to prevent cookies from spreading too much.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and use the bottom of a wooden spoon or a 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon into tops of cookies to make indentations. Cookies will be hot. Do not use your thumb!
Once all cookies have been indented, return to the oven, and continue baking until cookies are light brown on the edges, about 7 to 9 minutes more. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
While the cookies cool, make the chocolate filling by combining 4 ounces semi sweet chocolate, 4 tablespoons butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons corn syrup in the top of a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, you can use a small heat-proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted and smooth.
Allow the filling to o cool slightly, and hen cookies are cool, fill the thumbprints with the chocolate mixture. These cookies are also delicious filled with caramel. Check the recipe notes for an easy recipe or save time and pick up a simple caramel sauce from the store.
Store cookies in an airtight container for up to one week. These cookies also freeze beautifully, even one filled.
Enjoy!
I know these chocolate thumbprint cookies will become one of your new favorites. They make a lovely addition to any cookie tray or table.
Enjoy these little bite-sized cookies with a cup of coffee or tea. They also complement hot chocolate because they are not too sweet.
Chocolate thumbprints are an simple way to send a little cheer to friends. The pack well and are perfect for cookie tins or lunch boxes. They also come together so easily that are perfect for a cookie swap.
Happy Eating!
P.S. Chocolate chip snowballs are another great nut free cookie for a cookie swap.
Nut Free Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- oven
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Double boiler or heat safe bowl and a saucepan
Ingredients
Cookies
- 3/4 cup 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, divided
- 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Chocolate Filling
- 4 tbsp butter
- 4 oz semisweet chocolate chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp light corn syrup
Instructions
Cookies
- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together 1 1/2 sticks butter, 1/2 cup confectioners sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon vanilla on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Beat in 1 1/4 cups flour, beginning on low speed and increasing to medium high until dough comes together into a ball.
- Roll dough by teaspoonfuls into balls, and place 1 inch apart on parchment paper. Refrigerate tray for about 30 minutes to prevent cookies from spreading too much.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, remove from oven, and use the bottom of a wooden spoon or a 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon into tops of cookies to make indentations.
- Return to oven, and continue baking until light brown on the edges, about 7 to 9 minutes more. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
- While the cookies cool, make the chocolate filling.
Chocolate Filling
- Combine 4 ounces semi sweet chocolate, 4 tablespoons butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons corn syrup in the top of a double boiler or in a small heat-proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted and smooth.
- Allow to cool slightly. When cookies are cool, fill the thumbprints with the chocolate mixture.
Notes
1 cup granulated pure cane sugar
6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened and sliced into 6 pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
1 teaspoon salt Directions:
1. Heat 1 cup sugar in a medium heavy-duty saucepan over medium heat. Do not use non-stick. Stir constantly with a high heat-resistant rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Sugar will form clumps and eventually melt into a thick brown, amber-colored liquid as you stir. For me, this takes about 5-6 minutes. Be sure to stir continuously as the mixture burns quickly. You do not want it to burn. 2. Once sugar is melted, immediately stir in the butter and continue mixing until melted and combined. Be careful. The caramel will bubble rapidly when the butter is added. If the butter starts separating or the sugar clumps up, remove from heat and vigorously whisk to combine it again. Keep whisking until it comes back together (it eventually will), even if it takes several minutes. Return to heat when it’s combined again. 3. After the butter has melted and combined with the caramelized sugar, continue to stir as you very slowly pour in the heavy cream. Because the heavy cream is colder than the hot caramel, the mixture is going to rapidly bubble. After all the heavy cream has been added, stop stirring and allow to boil for 1 minute. The mixture will rise in the pan as it boils. 4. After a minute, remove from heat and stir in the salt. The caramel will be a thin liquid at this point. Caramel thickens as it cools. Allow to cool down before using. 5. When the caramel reaches the right consistency, spoon into cookies. Leftover caramel can be covered tightly and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 month . Caramel solidifies in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove to desired consistency. It’s delicious over ice-cream or in coffee or hot chocolate.
