Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
Chocolate thumbprint cookies are rich and chewy dark chocolate cookies with velvety smooth chocolate ganache centers.
If you’re looking for other Christmas cookie recipes check out my spritz cookies, double chocolate peppermint cookies, Christmas kitchen sink cookies, or chocolate dipped peppermint sugar cookies!
Why You’ll Love these Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
They’re SO chocolatey. The cookies are made with Dutch process cocoa powder for the best dark chocolate flavor. Then they’re filled with a thick chocolate ganache. *Chef’s kiss*
They’ve got the best texture. These are chewy cookies! Each bit truly melts in your mouth.
They’re pretty easy to make! They only require a few ingredients, and the dough only takes a few minutes to make. After it’s chilled, the cookies bake for 10 minutes and then are filled with an easy chocolate ganache.
Ingredients for Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
- Flour- all-purpose flour is used for the best “chew”
- Cocoa Powder- I recommend using Dutch process for a richer chocolate flavor
- Salt- helps bring out all the flavors in these cookies
- Baking Powder- helps the cookies to rise slightly
- Butter- make sure it’s softened
- Brown Sugar- mostly brown sugar is used for chewier cookies
- Granulated White Sugar- used along side the brown sugar
- Egg Yolks- make sure they’re room temperature
- Vanilla- as always I recommend vanilla bean paste for the best flavor, but extract will work as well
- Chocolate Chips- semi-sweet works best, you can also use a chopped semi-sweet chocolate bar
- Heavy Cream- used in the ganache
- Sprinkles- optional, but Christmas nonpareils look cute on top of the cookies!
Step by Step Instructions
Please see recipe below for complete measurements and baking time!
STEP ONE: Whisk flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder together.
STEP TWO: Cream butter, brown sugar, and granulated white sugar together.
STEP THREE: Add in egg yolks and vanilla and mix until fluffy.
STEP FOUR: Add in the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
STEP FIVE: Scoop the dough and roll into balls. Press with a 1/4 tsp to make an indent. Chill the dough. Then bake the cookies.
STEP SIX: While the cookies cool make the ganache.
STEP SEVEN: Fill each cookie with ganache, then add some sprinkles on top.
Please see recipe below for complete measurements and baking time!
FAQs
How do I store the cookies? Keep the cookies in an airtight container for up to three days, or freeze for up to two weeks.
Do I really need to chill the dough? Yes, the dough absolutely needs to be chilled to help the cookies better keep their shape.
Pro Tips
Measure your flour properly. This is always my #1 baking tip. Do not ever scoop a measuring cup into your flour. This will always lead to using too much flour. (Trust me, I’ve learned the hard way that I need to measure properly!) Instead, scoop spoonfuls of flour into your measuring cup and swipe excess flour off with the back of a knife. Or better yet, weigh your flour. 1 cup of flour equals 120-125 grams.
When the cookies are straight out of the oven, go around them in a circular motion with a circular cookie cutter. This will help the cookies to go back to their previous smaller size before baking, and it’ll give them a perfect circular shape!
Use a 1/4 tsp to make the indents in the cookie dough. I know these are called “thumbprint” cookies, but a 1/4 tsp will give you much prettier indents!
If you make these cookies please leave a review, it’s so helpful for me! Tag me on Instagram @inbloombakery_ so I can see as well! Follow me on Pinterest for other dessert ideas!
Other Recipes to Try
Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies
Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Chocolate Dipped Peppermint Sugar Cookies
Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
- 1 1/2 cups (188 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, see notes
- 1/2 cup (40 g) cocoa powder, Dutch process
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 cup (168 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup (165 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated white sugar
- 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
For the Chocolate Ganache
- 1 cup (200 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream
- nonpareils for sprinkling on top, optional
Instructions
For the Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Add flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder to a medium sized bowl. Whisk to combine, then set aside.
- Add butter, brown sugar and granulated white sugar to a large bowl. Cream together with an electric mixer for two minutes.
- Add the egg yolks and vanilla to the butter/sugar mixture and mix until pale in color and fluffy, 1-2 minutes.
- Add in the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
- Scoop the dough into 34 portions, then roll into balls. (About 1 tablespoon of dough.)
- Transfer the dough to the baking sheets.
- Using a 1/4 tsp, press down on the dough balls to create an indent.
- Chill the prepared indented dough balls for at least one hour. (You can chill all the dough together on one baking sheet and then separate it out on multiple baking sheets when ready to bake.)
Baking the Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Arrange the prepared dough about 1 1/2 inches apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes. (I think 10 minutes is perfect.)
- When the cookies are done baking, lightly press down on the centers again with a 1/4 tsp. (They may have lost their indent a little as they baked.) Go around them in a circular motion with a circular cookie cutter/biscuit cutter while they are still hot to give them a perfect circular shape, and to get them back to their original smaller size.
- Then let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer them to a cooling rack to completely cool.
For the Chocolate Ganache
- Add the chocolate chips to a small bowl.
- Heat the heavy cream in the microwave, or on the stove, until just about boiling.
- Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate chips and let sit for 1 minute.
- Stir to combine the cream and chocolate together.
Assembling the Cookies
- Fill each well of the cookies with about 1 tsp of ganache, more if it'll fit.
- Sprinkle sprinkles over the cookies if you wish.
- Chill the cookies in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to allow the ganache to set.
- Store left overs in an air tight container for up to three days.
These were so addictive. The cookie itself was just ok before I added the ganache but oh boy, that ganache took this cookie to the next level! I get that the cookie alone is supposed to be a bit more bland to complement the sweet filling. I am going to make these again but I wanted to add some mint flavour to the ganache-will this change the consistency or prevent it from firming up?
Hi Nicole! So happy you loved these cookies! I haven’t tried adding anything else to the ganache so I can’t fully recommend it but if you try it you will have to come back and let us know how it turns out.
Hi! Can I freeze the pre-baked cookies and bake them when needed? I would like to prepare some things in advance for Christmas.
Yes! I prepped the dough, and then I put them on a cookie sheet and froze them. Then I vacuum sealed them to use closer to Christmas. I took them out of the freezer and placed them on a cookie sheet in the fridge to thaw before baking. They turned out great!
Is it sweetened or unsweetened cocoa powder?
The best holiday cookies I have made so far and I bake a lot! I varied the toppings from sprinkles, to mini marshallows and peppermint pieces. Yum! Will be making again.
Hi, you make finding ur recipes harder than it has to be. I hope they taste wonderful to make up for the effort.
Looks like you found the comment section, though, and that was harder to find than the recipe. I hope the cookie recipe was up to your standards, and that you put as much effort into baking as you do running your mouth
Brilliant reply Sara. I found this recipe was definitely worth the 3 seconds it took me to find Cynthia, and went to the comment section to find if they could be frozen, which I found surprisingly quickly. I hope you made them as they are wonderful, I made them initially without the ganache and they were delicious – so made them with it the second time and my goodness, so good.
These are AMAZING. So rich and chocolately. Such a tender crumb. Now part of our holiday rotation. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Yay! Love being a part of this festive time of year through delicious recipes. Thanks for sharing!
These are fabulous! I made them with coconut sugar & honey instead of regular sugar, and then used wildberry jam in place of the chocolate ganache. This is one for the “good recipes” book, for sure
Incredible, Siera! So happy these turned out wonderful for you and thanks for trying this recipe.
Delicious and addictive. I made the ganache with Guittard milk chocolate chips, and these are irresistible. Is there nutrition info somewhere for the cookie??
Loved these! So did everyone at the Christmas party! Multiple people asked me for the recipe. Instead of sprinkles I crushed some candy canes for some peppermint on top. Made it very festive! Definitely adding this to the rotation.
Wow, that sounds phenomenal! Thanks for sharing this recipe with others <3
Are there any high altitude adjustments?
These are great, I’ll definitely be keeping them in my Christmas baking rotation. The key seems to be not overcooking the cookies- they combine with the ganache so well! They taste much more complex than the effort they take.
So happy you loved these! Thank you for sharing that tip!
My cookies turned out so flat and I’m not sure why !
I’m sorry that happened! Flat cookies are usually caused by butter that’s too warm, skipping the chill time, or an oven that runs a bit cool. I always recommend measuring flour carefully, using fresh leavening, and chilling the dough if noted in the recipe.
I would just like to know how much measurements should I do when I wanna double the recipe?
Really good recipe. can you freeze the dough
It was crumbling when I tried to indent it…
I’m sorry these didn’t work out for you, Jackie! I appreciate you trying them out.
This is my 2nd year making these cookies and they were once again a huge hit. I made the recipe exactly as written.
I made 3 batches this year. The first batch had Hershey’s Dutch Process Cocoa and the other two had Ghirardelli Dutch Process Cocoa. All other factors were the same – weighed the flour, in fridge for same amount of time, etc. The cookies made with Hershey’s spread more but they didn’t crack at all. The Ghiarardelli cookies had a plumper shape but cracked a bit. Both looked and tasted fantastic!!! I mention this only b/c I saw comments from people who struggled with the recipe and the brand of cocoa did make a difference for me.
Wow! Good observations and thanks for sharing!
I made these last year for Christmas and they were a big hit! #1 request for this year.
Yay! So happy! Thanks for sharing!
I really enjoy these cookies. Question of storage, in a air tight container up to three day… counter or fridge?
Room temp works just fine!
These turned out great! Rich, excellent taste and texture. Followed the cookie recipe to a T, weighing ingredients (except used regular cocoa powder cause I didn’t have Dutch).
Yield was 33 with the exact right amount of ganache to fill cookies to the top. I think if you’re ending up with too much ganache, you may just need to create a deeper indent in the cookie.
I did have a couple crack; but that was from swirling the cup too hard to get them rounded while they were still hot. Rounding them with the cup helps the indent settle back in too. I did re-indent after baking for a deeper cookie.
I appreciate all the specific tips and tricks for these to turn out perfect!
For the ganache, I used oat whipping cream.
The ads are a little annoying cause they pop up and stick to the actual recipe, blocking part of the text, but I got around this by clicking “print recipe”. All in all, worth the ads for a free, beautiful cookie recipe!
I am going to freeze them filled and re thaw next week for NYE.
Thank you for not posting your life story and keeping it about the actual cookies. Will make these again & again!
Thanks so much for all the wonderful feedback and I am so glad these turned out wonderful for you. Thanks for sharing! Xx
These came out great and will definitely be part of my yearly lineup of Christmas cookies. After chilling for 2+ hours, I baked and when they came out I pressed the “thumbprint” down a little more to help that well for the chocolate ganache. Very rich and chocolatey without being overly sweet.
So happy you loved these, Nicole! Thanks for sharing!
Very awesome recipe. Used these for holiday cookie boxes. They are very rich, and very addictive. Everyone in the house loved them. The perfect balance of firmness and chewy softness.
Yummy! So happy these were well loved. Happy baking!
Made this for my family gathering for christmas everyone loved it!! Recommended them this recipe!
Yay! Thanks for sending more friends. Happy it was a crowd pleaser. Xx
They really were pretty easy to make and came out tasting delicious. Made plenty to have at home and to bring in to work.
Yay! Great job. Happy baking! Xx
I made these cookies for Christmas and they were absolutely amazing! My family and friends now think I’m basically the best baker in the world haha. thank you so much for sharing this recipe! xoxo
I’ve made these a few times for my Bakehouse, they were so delicious. The first time I made them bigger and without the ganache and they were a really smooth, rich cookie – then with the ganache too which were dangerously good! Next time I’ll use freeze dried raspberries or strawberries on the ganache. Thank you, great recipe!
Sounds so yum! Thanks for sharing!
This has become my family’s favorite cookie. At Christmas I tweaked it with a teaspoon of peppermint extract. It was a hit!
Yay! Happy you all loved these!
These were absolutely amazing! They are definitely gonna be added to my Christmas cookie list every year. The only issue I had was that the indent completely disappeared during baking, even though I followed the instructions exactly. I just had to be ready with a tiny spoon to push them in quickly as soon as I took them out of the oven. Well worth it!
I’m happy you found a way to make it work for you! Yay! Thanks for this feedback.
Can these be made with gluten free flour?
Most of my recipes turn out great GF – Hooray! There is a caveat though, I can only say the recipe will come out good with Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free baking flour. This is the only gluten free flour I use as it bakes most similarly to regular, all-purpose flour.
Everybody was obsessed with these. My dad who doesn’t like sweets was mad he only had two and my boyfriend ate 6 in one sitting hahah, thank you!