Description
These Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies feature a tender buttery base with a rich hot fudge filling and festive Christmas sprinkles. Perfect for holiday gatherings, they are baked in a mini muffin tin to create adorable, bite-sized treats that are both delicious and visually appealing.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup cold butter, cubed
- 2/3 cup white sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
Filling & Decoration
- 1/3 cup hot fudge
- Christmas sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a mini muffin tin thoroughly with non-stick spray to prevent the cookies from sticking.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In the bowl of a mixer, combine the cold cubed butter, white sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat in the egg yolks until the mixture is light and fluffy, ensuring a smooth and creamy texture.
- Add Flour: Gradually mix in the all-purpose flour, continuing to mix until the dough just comes together to form a cohesive ball.
- Form Cookie Cups: Use a small cookie scoop to portion out the dough. Press each portion firmly into the wells of the muffin tin, shaping it into little cups.
- Bake the Cookies: Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven and bake the cookie dough cups for 12 minutes, or until the edges turn lightly golden.
- Create Wells: Immediately after baking, use the rounded handle of a wooden spoon to press down and create wells in each cookie. Let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Carefully run a butterknife around each cookie’s edges to loosen them from the pan.
- Cool Cookies: Allow the cookie cups to continue cooling in the pan for an additional 20 minutes, then gently remove them and place on a cooling rack or baking sheet.
- Warm the Filling: Warm the hot fudge in the microwave in short bursts until it is pourable but not hot.
- Fill the Cookies: Spoon the warmed hot fudge into each cooled cookie cup, filling the wells evenly.
- Add Sprinkles and Set: Top each filled cookie with festive Christmas sprinkles. Let the cookies cool for about 1 hour to allow the hot fudge filling to set before serving.
Notes
- Be sure to keep the butter cold for a tender, flaky cookie texture.
- If you don’t have a mini muffin tin, you can shape the dough into balls and create wells on a baking sheet, but baking times and shapes will vary.
- Letting the fudge set ensures the filling won’t be too runny when bitten into.
- Use festive sprinkles to customize for holidays or special occasions.
- Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies, holiday cookies, mini chocolate cookies, hot fudge cookies, festive desserts
