Food & Cooking Recipes Dessert & Treats Recipes Cookie Recipes Chocolate Thumbprints 4.1 (107) 2 Reviews These buttery bite-sized treats are easy to make and easy to love. By Martha Stewart Martha Stewart Martha Stewart is a bestselling author, entrepreneur, and lifestyle expert who has taught millions of people through generations the joy of entertaining, cooking, gardening, collecting, crafting, and home renovating via her eponymous magazine, Martha Stewart Living, Emmy-winning television shows, and 99 books (and counting). Based in Katonah, N.Y., where she helms her 156-acre Bedford Farm, Martha is America's first self-made female billionaire. Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 2, 2024 Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Brie Goldman Servings: 24 Yield: 2 dozen Jump to recipe These chocolate thumbprint cookies are a delicious American version of a classic Swedish cookie known as hallongrottor, which translate as “raspberry caves.” While these delicious, buttery cookies started with a jam center, we know you'll lovely this chocolatey rendition. The filling is made by melting semisweet chocolate, butter, and corn syrup together to create a rich, ganache-like mixture. Once the soft cookies come out of the oven, they're filled with the chocolate sauce. These simple yet decadent treats are easy enough to assemble at the last minute and elegant enough for a cookie swap. 20 Easy Cookie Recipes Anyone Can Make Why Thumbprint Cookies Are So Special Beyond their cute, button-like appearance, there are a few other things that make thumbprint cookies different and special: Texture: Thumbprint cookies fall somewhere between shortbread and a chewy sugar cookie. Like shortbread, they rely on the butter to provide most of the flavor. And while they’re not quite as chewy as a sugar cookie, they are more soft than snappy. They’re not nearly as crumbly as shortbread, either. They’re a happy medium that melts in your mouth. Shape: The tiny round shape and signature indent make these cookies instantly recognizable from the others. Versatility: Often you’ll see thumbprint cookies with a dollop of jam in the center, we used chocolate for this recipe but you could swap it for other fillings such as lemon curd, dulce de leche, pumpkin or apple butter, Nutella, or peanut butter. How to Make the Indentation Just because it’s called a thumbprint cookie doesn’t mean you have to use your thumb. You can use another finger that is more appropriately sized for the cookies or reach for a utensil you already have in your kitchen—a wooden spoon. Its rounded handle is sometimes the best option. Simply press it down into the center of the cookie to create a perfectly sized well. Reshaping After Baking—and Before Filling Sometimes, as the cookies rise and spread, the indentations lose some dimension or puff up a little too much. If that happens, use the rounded handle of your wooden spoon to press into the center of the cookies again while they’re still warm. The easiest way to fill the thumbprints with the chocolate mixture is to pipe it in. You can use a piping bag fitted with a round tip; or just transfer the melted chocolate to a plastic bag, snip a hole in the corner, and squeeze it into the indentations. Give each cookie a gentle tap on the countertop once they’re filled to help level out the chocolate. Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter ½ cup confectioners' sugar ¼ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped 1 ½ teaspoons light corn syrup Directions Brie Goldman Preheat oven; beat butter and sugar: Heat oven to 325°F. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together 1 stick butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Brie Goldman Add flour: Beat in flour, beginning on low speed and increasing to medium high. Form cookies: Roll dough by teaspoonfuls into balls, and place 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Brie Goldman Bake cookies, make indentations, bake again, and cool: Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven, and press thumb into tops of cookies to make indentations. Return to oven, and bake until light brown on the edges, approximately 7 to 9 minutes more. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Brie Goldman Brie Goldman Make chocolate mixture and fill indentations: Combine chocolate, 4 tablespoons butter, and corn syrup in a small heat-proof bowl. Set over a pot of simmering water; stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Allow to cool slightly. When cookies are cool, fill the thumbprints with the chocolate mixture. Brie Goldman Storage Before storing, be sure to let the cookies cool completely, at least 1 hour. Then place filled thumbprint cookies in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can stack the cookies to store several layers in one container–just lay down a piece of parchment or waxed paper between the layers. 2 Ways to Upgrade Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies Roll in sugar or freeze-dried fruit: One easy way to add another layer of texture to these cookies is to roll the dough balls in granulated sugar before baking them. This will add a subtle crunch and make them shimmer. You can also pulse some freeze-dried fruit, such as raspberries or strawberries, and add those to the sugar. Freeze-dried fruit is very concentrated and has a powerful flavor, so we recommend using 1 part fruit for every 4 parts sugar. Flavor the chocolate: We keep this dough pretty straightforward, but there are plenty of ways to switch up the overall flavor of the cookies by adding something to the melted chocolate. A splash of raspberry or coffee liqueur will give it an instant boost; a pinch of instant espresso powder will bring out the chocolate’s true flavor; and a light touch of grated orange zest will instantly complement the flavors. More Thumbprint Recipes to Try: Thumbprint Cookies Lamington Thumbprint Cookies Carrot-Cake Thumbprint Cookies Pink-Lemonade Thumbprints Coconut Thumbprint Cookies With Salted Caramel Sweetheart Thumbprint Cookies Originally appeared: Martha Stewart Living, December/January 1994 Rate It PRINT Updated by Riley Wofford Riley Wofford Riley Wofford is a recipe developer, food stylist, and writer with over 15 years of experience and holds a Professional Culinary Arts diploma from the International Culinary Center. In addition to MarthaStewart.com, Riley's work can be found in TODAY.com, Delish, Food52, and Marley Spoon.