Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
Time: 1 & 1/2 hours
Yield: 28-32 cookies
This is an Original Recipe!
Ingredients – Cookie Dough
8 tbsp butter softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg room temperature
2 cups minus 2 tbsp flour (see directions)
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Ingredients – Ganache
2 cups chocolate chips
FOR FIRM GANACHE: 1 cup heavy cream
FOR SOFT GANACHE: 1 & 1/2 cups heavy cream
Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 350oF. Prepare cookie tray with parchment paper and set aside (you will likely be baking 2-3 batches, use 2 pans if available).
2) Using a stand mixer or electric beaters, beat the butter with both sugars until creamy (2 minutes). Add the vanilla and the egg; beat on low speed until just incorporated (10-15 seconds). If you beat the eggs too long, the cookies will come out stiff.
3) In a separate bowl, add the 2 cups of flour and then remove 2 tbsps of it. Next add the cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Whisk all dry ingredients together. Then add half of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and briefly mix together. Add the remaining dry into the wet and continue mixing just until a dough starts to form. Using your hands, finish pressing the crumbles together to form a large dough ball. The dough should be easy to handle at this point.
4) Roll the dough into small balls (should be about 1 inch diameter) and place on the prepared cookie tray, making sure each cookie has about 2 inches of space between each other. Using your pointer finger, press down on the center of each cookie, making sure to create a hole but not too hard where the cookie dough breaks in the middle (the sides will split, that is okay and can be pressed back together).
5) Freeze the cookie tray with cookies on it for 15-20 minutes.
6) Take the tray out of the freezer and bake for 13-16 minutes, until the cookies start to look darker/firm on the edges/bottom. Do not overbake.
7) Once removed from the oven, immediate press down on the center hole of each cookie using a spoon (this is needed since the cookies will rise and the hole will not be as deep). Let the cookies cool on the tray for 15 minutes, then carefully transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.
8) While the cookies are cooling, make the ganache by heating up the chocolate chips and heavy cream together (microwave bursts or double boiler). While the chocolate chips are melting, continually mix the cream in, it will quickly go from watery to thick over time. When the ganache is settled and ready, remove from heat and spoon it into the center hole of each cookie.
9) The cookies can be served now or stored in an airtight container at room temperature.