Chocolate Mint Thumbprint Cookies

Dark chocolate cookies with a puddle of peppermint flavored white chocolate ganache in the center. Perfect for the holidays, or any time of year.

We’re only a few days into December I already feel like I’ve completely overdone it on holiday cookies. On Friday evening Salt Lake City hosted a cookie swap organized by Bloggers without Borders to benefit the charity Why Hunger. It was a small gathering at Finca restaurant, and I got to make some new blogger friends as well as catch up with some of my favorite local blogging buddies. And of course, there were cookies.

The next day, I helped my friend Becky with a SLC Mixer event featuring Maria of Two Peas and Their Pod and some of her famous cookies. We all had a lot of fun baking together, sharing tips, and talking about gift packaging for cookies.

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By the end of the weekend, I couldn’t even look at a cookie. But now that it’s a been a few days, I sure wish I had a few more of these chocolate mint thumbprints to nibble on.

These little baked gems of dark chocolate, white chocolate, and mint were my contribution to the cookie swap. I spied them years ago in Baked Explorations but only just now got around to trying the recipe. I loved how they turned out— chocolaty but not too sweet, and perfect for the holidays without being too cliche.

These chocolate mint thumbprints are doing pretty much everything right. The coarse sugar they’re rolled in before baking gives the exterior a nice crunch. The cookie itself is crumbly, with an almost melt-in-your-mouth feel. And the filling is a nice contrast, both in flavor and in texture. I doubt I’ll make it till Christmas without baking up another batch. It turns out you can’t have too many cookies around during the holidays!

get the recipe

Chocolate Mint Thumbprint Cookies

Yield: 2 dozen cookies

Dark chocolate cookies with a puddle of peppermint flavored white chocolate ganache in the center. Perfect for the holidays, or any time of year.

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces (110 grams) dark chocolate, chopped
• 1 1/2 cup (190 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (40 grams) cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup (65 grams) sugar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• Coarse sugar, for rolling

For the filling:

• 3 ounces (85 grams) white chocolate, chopped
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. In a double boiler or heat proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt the chocolate. Stir until smooth, then remove from heat to cool slightly.
3. In a bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar and brown sugar together on medium high speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing after each, followed by the vanilla and peppermint extracts.
4. Add the melted chocolate and mix until combined. Add the flour mixture all at once and mix until just combined. Form the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
5. Roll the dough into rounded tablespoons and roll in the course sugar. Place on the prepared sheet pan and use your thumb or a dowel to create a well in the center of each cookie.
6. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and reinforce indents with your thumb or dowel. Return to oven and bake for an additional 4-5 minutes, just until cracks begin to form in the cookies. Remove from oven and reinforce the indents again. Let cool completely on a cooling rack.
7. !To make the filling: In the microwave, heat the cream for about 30 seconds until boiling. Pour over the chocolate, let sit for 2 minutes, then stir until smooth. Stir in the peppermint extract.
8. Pour the filling into the cooled cookies. Let cookies firm up in the fridge for 15 minutes. Store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to several days.

Note: For best results, use a good quality white chocolate.

Adapted from Baked Explorations.