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Chocolate Mint Thumbprints to be exact! Christmas Cookie Week continues here at Tonia's Kitchen with Abby Dodge, the author of The Everyday Baker. She told Tonia these thumbs mixup decadent, rich chocolate, with the cool wintry burst of peppermint for an amazing holiday dessert snack. Abby notes you also get a cookie crunch with these thumbs on the outside, with a velvety smooth chocolate center in the middle. Bake these up for your holiday party, and you'll find everyone else's thumbprints will be all over them!
Bittersweet Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprints
Makes 18 cookies
For the cookies
8 Tbs.(4 oz./113 g) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup (2 3/8 oz./67 g) firmly packed light or dark brown
sugar
1/4 cup (3/4 oz./20 g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder,
sifted if lumpy
1/4 tsp. table salt
3/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. pure peppermint extract
1 cup (4 1/2 oz./128 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
For the filling and assembly
1/3 cup (2 oz./57 g) chopped bittersweet chocolate
3 Tbs. (1 1/2 oz./42 g) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1/3 cup (1 5/8 oz./46 g) chopped peppermint hard candies
Make the cookies
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the
oven to 350°F (180°C/gas 4). Line two cookie sheets with parchment or nonstick
liners.
2. Put the butter, brown sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in
the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl
using an electric handheld mixer fitted with wire beaters). Beat on medium
speed until well blended and smooth, about 1 minute. Add the vanilla and
peppermint extracts and beat until well blended, about 1 minute. Add the flour
and mix on low speed until a soft dough forms, about 1 minute.
3. Using a 1-Tbs. mini scoop, shape the dough into balls and
lightly roll them in your palms to smooth the edges. Arrange them about 1 1/2
inches (4 cm) apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Using a round 1/2-tsp.
measure, press down into the middle of each mound to make a well that is almost
as deep as the dough ball. If the dough sticks to the measuring spoon, dip the
bottom of the spoon in a little flour. Small cracks in the ball are fine but if
the edges break open, reroll and try again. The finished cookies will look
better and hold the filling without leaking if the edges are smooth.
4. Bake until the
tops look dry, 14 to 16 minutes. Move the cookie sheet to a rack and let cool
for about 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a rack to cool completely.
Make the filling and assemble
1. Put the chocolate and butter in a small heatproof bowl
and melt in the microwave or over a pan of simmering water, stirring until
smooth. (This can also be done in the microwave.) Remove from the heat and set
aside until cool and slightly thickened.
2. Arrange the cooled cookies on a cookie sheet or sheet
pan. Using a small spoon, drizzle the thickened and cooled chocolate into each
indentation, filling just to the rim but not to overflowing. Alternatively,
scrape the chocolate into one corner of a small zip-top plastic bag, press out
the air, and seal. Cut off a small piece of the corner and pipe the chocolate
into the indentations. Set the cookies aside until the chocolate filling is set
but still tacky to the touch, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the tops with the
chopped peppermint candies. Let cool completely before stowing or serving.
