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Chocolate on chocolate. Yes, please.
I think one of the best things about December is all the cookies. I mean, they’re practically everywhere, and I gotta say, I love it! I mean, who could not? Cookies are the best. I’ve gotten into the habit of sending out a box of cookies to people I work with and close family members the week before Christmas. In prepping for this year’s box, I wanted to have a few new cookie recipes to include, and obviously these Chocolate Espresso Thumbprint Cookies are making the cut.
Chocolate cookie with chocolate coffee ganache…too good! And then, because I was feeling all fancy and just happened to have it on hand, I decorated these cookies with edible gold leaf. Yeah, edible gold leaf, super fun right? Kind of big time lovin’ these right now.
So at the end of each month, I try to sit and jot down some recipe ideas for the upcoming month. Some months I have a ton of ideas and some…not so much. The month of December however is always pages long. Holiday recipes come so easily to me, especially the sweet ones, I just have so much fun with them! And you guys all know that around here, the chocolate just flows, so including some chocolate recipes in the month are a must! Thing is, I only have so many days to post. That makes choosing between them all a major struggle to say the least. Instead of doing the hard work myself, I just sent the list off to my brother and these cookies were at the top of his list.
Chocolate Espresso Thumbprint Cookies it is then! Done and DONE.
Up until these cookies, I’d never made a thumbprint style cookie. I normally stick to the sugar cookies, butter cookies, or super gooey chocolate cookies. Thumbprints just never really got me excited, but then I wrote down this idea, for an all chocolate coffee infused thumbprint cookie, and I was SOLD.
If you ask me, chocolate and coffee has got to be one of the best pairings there is. The coffee compliments the chocolate so well. In my cookbook, I have a recipe for lava cakes, I add just a little coffee and I swear it makes all the difference, best lava cakes around <–seriously. So excited about that recipe…can’t wait for you guys to see it, make it, and eat it…coming next fall!
Anyway, back to the cookies! With a lot of cookie recipes it seems there’s often the rather annoying step (if you ask me), of chilling the dough. I dunno about you guys, but I can never seem to plan ahead, and when I wanna cookie, I want it fast, not after waiting two hours for the dough to chill, sorry, that’s just not an option. Well, I’m excited to say that this dough needs zero chilling. These cookies are actually pretty fast and easy cookies to make too. Plus you may even have all of the ingredients on hand right now, cause you know I do! Tis the season after all! Plus, Tuesday cookies are the bestest. I mean, right?!
These are the perfect cookies to gift, but they’re also great just to bake and enjoy yourself. While the cookie is delicious, it’s the ganache that’s key here. Nothing beats biting into that fudgy center, SO GOOD. The cookies are similar to a brownie cookie…moist and super chocolatey…but with a really nice hint of coffee flavor. If you like, you can choose to tone down the coffee flavor by adding less espresso powder, but I prefer to go heavy, the more the better!
Ok and super quick, I have serious question for you guys…
QUESTION: what are YOUR favorite Christmas cookies? I’m dying to know if some of you are like me and love something a bit more chocolately, or if you’re all about the sugar cookies?
Oh and hmm, maybe I should do a round-up of my favorite Christmas desserts sometime before Christmas Eve? Yes? No?
Chocolate Espresso Thumbprint Cookies.
Servings: 36 cookies
Calories Per Serving: 152 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream optional
Chocolate Ganache
- 8 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate chopped
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla, and coffee powder and beat until incorporated. Add the flour, cocoa powder, and salt, beating until just combined. If the dough feels dry, add 1 tablespoon heavy cream.
- Roll the dough into 2 teaspoon size balls and place 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Using the end of a wooden spoon or your thumb, press gently in the center of each to create an indentation.
- Transfer to the oven and bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are just set, about 7-8 minutes. If the indentations lose their definition, gently press the centers in again. Cool slightly on baking sheet and then transfer cookies to wire racks, and let cool completely.
- Meanwhile, in a microwave safe bowl, combine the chocolate and cream. Microwave on 30 second intervals until melted and smooth. Stir in the vanilla and coffee powder until dissolved. Spoon the ganache into the center of each cookie. Decorate as desired with sprinkles or edible gold leaf. Keep cookies stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Tuesday cookies with a kick…for the win!
Love these cookies but my cookies aren’t holding shape & a little flat. Noticed the recipe doesn’t call for any baking soda/powder. Should I add this or maybe chill? The taste is amazing so I want to try again.
Hey Ana,
Amazing!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it:) I would trying chilling them! I hope this helps! xT
Will the chocolate ganache centers harden so I can stack the cookies? Or do they stay gooey?
Hi Alicia,
They stay slightly gooey, but if you stack them with wax paper in between they should be okay! I hope you love this recipe! xx
Hi Tieghan, can the dough or cookies be frozen?
Hi Alexa,
Yes, you can go ahead and freeze the dough! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
These were fantastic! I had a bit of trouble getting the cookies to stay dented when they baked so I just pressed a spoon into them while they cooled on the rack and that seemed to work pretty well. I also found that popping assembled cookies into the fridge for a bit helped them firm up nicely. I will definitely be making them again!
Hey Rin,
Happy Friday!!🍀 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your comment, so glad to hear it was delish! xT
These were delicious! The ganache made enough for two batches of cookies…so I made a second batch! Next time I’ll have the ganache but having a double amount of these cookies is the opposite of a problem.
Hey Katie,
Happy Holidays!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you giving it a try! 🎄❄️
Our cookies seem dense. We think we overmixed. When we microwaved our chocolate and cream, it separated and seemed almost oily, but it dropped into the cookie indentation well. Overall we liked it, but think we need to give it another go around.
Hi Laura,
Thanks for giving these cookies a try and sharing your feedback! Let me know if you give them another try! xT
Today I try this recipe , I use 185gr Sugar, it was good, but don’t know why it become a soft cookies type, so it more kinda cakey and not crunchy at all 😂, anyone know what should I add to make it more crunchy?
Thank you ❤️
Hey Cynthia,
Thanks for making this recipe! These cookies are not meant to be crispy or crunchy, they should be soft, so sounds like you did everything correctly! xx
Absolutely delicious!! Now a staple for my holiday baking. Made these last year for a work cookie exchange and everyone loved them! My coworker reminded me about them saying how much she loved them so I made them again this year 😊 The flavor is amazing and they’re super easy to make. I made them a day in advance so the ganache would set a bit more before I bagged them up and they held up great! I also added a dash of cinnamon to the ganche and topped them with flakey sea salt. Thanks so much Tieghan!
Hey Kelsey,
Happy Monday!!☃️ I truly appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad it was enjoyed! xT