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 ¼ teaspoon 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 ¼ teaspoon to make the indents in the cookie dough. I know these are called "thumbprint" cookies, but a ¼ teaspoon 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 ½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled see notes
- ½ cup (40 g) cocoa powder Dutch process
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ cup (168 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (165 g) light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated white sugar
- 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
For the Chocolate Ganache
- 1 cup (200 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ 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 ¼ 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 ½ 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 ¼ 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 teaspoon 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.
Must have for the holidays
Any eggless option available??
Just wow! These are fantastic! I can’t wait to bring these to my Christmas party!
Completely addicted. These are my new fav cookies. Easy to make and even better to eat! Thanks for the awesome recipe 🙂
Perfect for christmas! Delicious too
Soooo Delicious!!!
Had a bit of trouble with the dough...way to buttery and sticky for rolling even after chilling but I probably messed up somewhere. Had trouble with the "thumbprint" since my teaspoons are oval haha !
Easy to make - I made these with my husband who has never baked before and he had a fun time! Mine turned out a little salty (maybe from using natural cocoa instead of Dutch processed) but still delicious and very pretty!
These are great and I’ll be making them again and again. I like that the recipe is exact, like you’re not left with too much or too little ganache. Only thing I’d recommend is baking for about 8-9 minutes. They come out incredibly soft but just let them be and they’ll harden as they cool. I baked for 10 minutes and they were a little too hard for my liking.
Hey Lee! Thanks so much for trying the cookies! 🙂 I'm glad you like them and for sure you can alway bake them for a little less time! 🙂
Cookies were fabulous! My students loved them. Anything with chocolate ganache is a winner in my book 😉
Hey Melissa! I'm so glad you all enjoyed! Thanks so much for trying them out 🙂
I made this last minute after a chocolate chip cookie fail. They were a hit! So delicious! And turned out perfect.
Hi! These look amazing and I’m hoping them to make them for the holidays. I am hoping to make them in advance, do you know if they freeze well?
Hi Hilary! I froze some for about a week and yes they seemed to be okay! Of course they are better fresh though 🙂
I just made these cookies, to me I would make the dough and roll them into balls and indent the cookies and then chill the cookies i believe would work better personally but they look pretty.
Hi Tammy. That's exactly what the recipe says to do.
Amazing cookies! Just wondering if I can make ahead and chill the raw dough in the fridge for several hours (if I have errands to run) and then bake them later? Or will the dry up too much?
THESE ARE AMAZING
Yay! I'm so glad you like! 🙂
Hi Dalia! Yes you can definitely leave the prepared dough balls in the fridge, I would just cover them to avoid them getting dry!
I just made these and they are delicious! Thank you for the recipe, I will definitely make them again! Merry Christmas😊🕊🎄🌟
Hi Cleo! I'm so glad you enjoyed! Merry Christmas! 🙂
I can not begin to describe these cookies… decadent, soft, chocolaty goodness! I am a huge chocolate lover and these are absolutely incredible… I might have to keep them stocked up just for a sweet treat. The filling in the thumbprint is truly divine!
Made these for the second time this week and this time I put half of a maraschino cherry in the center before adding the chocolate ganache. SO GOOD! Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Hi! I’m making these tonight and had a quick question. Am I suppose to sift the flour before I measure it or no?
The best chocolate cookie I have ever had!
Could a vanilla bean work as well?
Hi! Nope 🙂 just make sure to spoon it into your measuring cup and swipe excess off with the back of a knife 🙂
Absolutely! A vanilla bean would be even better! 🙂
Yay! That makes me SO happy to hear! Merry Christmas <3
Ooo that sounds so good!! Thanks for trying them out 🙂
I'm so glad you like them!! 🙂
Hi Ginny!
These cookies look amazing!
I'll try to bake them tonight!
But I prefer grams than cups, and I'd like you to write recipe with gr too!
Thanks for the recipe 🙂
These were amazing!
These cookies were beyond tasty!
But my cookie comes out slightly cracked and not perfectly smooth as yours in the pictures - any reason for why this may be happening?
Hi Delilah! I'm glad they were tasty! The biggest reason is probably too much flour was used. See the recipe notes for more on this 🙂
I made these for a coworker and put a raspberry drizzle over instead of sprinkles and he absolutely loves them and has asked me to make him over 4 dozen cookies all together.
Fantastic recipe, loved by all! I am going to make the filling by using different jams and a drizzle of ganache. Prepping for the holidays.
This recipe is a keeper. My cookies turned out beautifully. It was easy to follow the instructions and I was thrilled with the result. I planned to add this to gift cookie gift boxes I make this holiday season.
This recipe is a keeper! My cookies turned out beautifully. It was easy to follow the instructions and I was thrilled with the result. I plan to add these to the cookie gift boxes I make this holiday season.
Re-wrote the review as I wasn't able to edit the previous one I wrote.
Hi Ginny!
I cannot find Dutch process cocoa powder! Can I sub other high quality cocoa powder? Or anything I can do?
Hey Lisa! You can use natural/regular cocoa powder! The cookies just won't be as dark in color.
Would black cocoa powder work well? I have that or regular Baking cocoa.
These are incredibly tasty cookies but mine cracked even though I followed the exactly to the gram AND used an oven thermometer while baking ! They looked exactly like the pictures till the 7th minute in the oven and then expanded more and cracked.
Any idea what could have gone wrong.
AMAZING!!!! SO SO SO DELICIOUS 😋 😋
I wasn't sure what to expect, but these are really good. I put a glace cherry on top of the ganache. I am so impressed, thanks for the recipe. They're so easy too!
Her cookies have not failed me yet. I would just love to know what she does with all the extra egg whites
These are excellent. I plan on adding them to my Christmas cookie lineup. My college age kids ate these up while home on break. I am going to make them with Valentine sprinkles to send off to them in a couple of weeks. Thank you for a very tasty recipe that was easy to follow and came out both pretty and delicious!