Dark Chocolate Mint Thumbprints
How do we feel about Christmas in August? Is it too soon? In all honesty, it is probably a little too late, at least it is if I want to get all of my recipes for Christmas goodies posted before Christmas is actually here. Each year, in the weeks leading up to Christmas, I make a total of 23 different recipes to share with friends, family and colleagues. This year, I want to share them with you!
This first recipe, for Dark Chocolate Mint Thumbprints, is one of my husband’s favorites – he loves chocolate and mint and says that these remind him of the Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies. I’m actually not a big fan of mint myself, but I love that making these makes others happy, especially around the holidays. This is one of three thumbprint recipes I make for my goodie trays – I love the pop of color they add to the trays so I always make sure there are a few of the thumbprints clearly visible on the tops of the trays.
These thumbprints can be a little fussy to make. You really do need to roll the balls of dough perfectly smooth to avoid cracks in the cookies as they bake and you want to make absolutely sure each cookie is fully coated in sugar to avoid any bare patches. When making the filling, be careful to avoid overheating the cream for the ganache or it will break (if that happens you can mix in warm cream a little at a time until it comes together again, you can also add a little corn syrup – no more than a tablespoon – to help it come together and stay together).
Dark Chocolate Mint Thumbprints
Equipment
- kitchen scale
- bowls (small and medium mixing bowls, shallow bowl for rolling)
- stand mixer
- cookie scoop (1 tablespoon)
- whisks
- baking sheets
Ingredients
For the cookies
- 57 gram extra dark chocolate 72% – 78%
- 57 gram dark chocolate and mint candy I like Dove Dark Chocote Mint Swirl, Andes dark chocolate mints are another good choice
- 210 gram flour all-purpose
- 48 gram dark unsweetened cocoa powder
- 5 gram salt
- 220 gram butter unsalted, room temperature
- 48 gram sugar
- 60 gram brown sugar firmly packed
- 2 egg yolks large, room temperature
- 5 milliliter vanilla extract
- coarse sugar for rolling (I like to use green for a splash of color and to hint at the mint flavor)
For the filling
- 113 gram dark chocolate and mint candy
- 45 milliliter heavy cream
Instructions
To make the cookies:
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a small, microwave safe bowl, melt together the dark chocolate and the chocolate and mint candy, set aside to cool slightly.57 gram extra dark chocolate, 57 gram dark chocolate and mint candy
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder and salt until uniform in color and no lumps of cocoa powder remain, set aside.210 gram flour, 48 gram dark unsweetened cocoa powder, 5 gram salt
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy.220 gram butter, 48 gram sugar, 60 gram brown sugar
- Add the egg yolks and vanilla, beat until well combined.2 egg yolks, 5 milliliter vanilla extract
- Scrape the chocolate mint mixture into the stand mixer bowl and beat just until incorporated.
- Scrape down the bowl, add the dry ingredients and beat on low speed just until the mixture comes together in a smooth dough.
- Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill until firm (at least 30 minutes).
- Pour the coarse sugar into a shallow bowl or dish. Form tablespoon sized balls of the dough making sure there are no cracks or lumps. Roll each ball in the coarse sugar and place on the prepared baking sheets. Using a small dowel or the handle of a wooden spoon to make an indentation in the center of each cookie.coarse sugar
- Bake the cookies for approximately 10 minutes, remove from the oven and use the dowel or spoon again to make the indentation more visible. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
To make the filling:
- Place the chocolate and mint candy in a heat proof bowl.113 gram dark chocolate and mint candy
- Heat the cream to a simmer and pour over the chocolate and mint candy.45 milliliter heavy cream
- Allow the mixture to stand for about a minute then whisk until smooth.
- Fill the indentation of each cookie with the dark chocolate mint ganache. Refrigerate the cookies until the filling is set.
- Store cookies in an air tight container.
Notes
Nutrition
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