These comfortable, buttery chocolate cookies rolled in chopped hazelnuts and crammed with a silky Nutella ganache are my new favourite Christmas cookies-perfect for festive vacation gifting and cookie containers.
Christmas Thumbprint Cookies
December has all the time been my favourite time of yr – and each season (I have been making vacation recipes since 2012), I like to share new Christmas cookie recipes (assume comfortable and chewy ginger molasses cookies, delicate hazelnut shortbread, or almond amaretto cookies). This yr, these chocolate-hazelnut thumbprints earned a first-rate spot in my Christmas cookie field. This recipe makes use of easy pantry staples – flour, cocoa powder, butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, an egg yolk, vanilla, and a splash of milk – plus chopped hazelnuts for crunch and Nutella with a contact of cream. They’re excellent for vacation baking, gifting, entertaining, and cookie exchanges. For those who’re as a lot in a vacation mode as I’m and might’t get sufficient of Christmas baking, do this fan-favorite cranberry-pecan apple bundt cake and this chocolate-orange tart.
You will Want These Components:
- First, collect your components. This picture conveniently exhibits each ingredient you want (labeled):
The right way to Make Chocolate Thumbprints
- Mix dry components: In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.
- Mix moist components: In a mixer, beat butter with brown and granulated sugars till mild and fluffy (2-3 minutes).
- Add extra moist components: Beat in egg yolk, vanilla, and milk, scraping the bowl.
- Mix dry and moist components: On low velocity, combine in dry components simply till combined-the dough could look crumbly; press it right into a easy ball.
- Chill: Cowl and chill a minimum of 1 hour (or in a single day).
- Prep for baking: Let the dough soften for 10-Quarter-hour, then scoop 1 tablespoon parts (about 20 g), roll them into easy balls, and coat them with chopped hazelnuts.
- Create indentations: Organize on a parchment-lined sheet and press a deep heart together with your thumb or the deal with of a wood spoon.
- Chill and bake: Chill formed cookies half-hour, then bake at 350ºF for 10-12 minutes till edges set and facilities are barely comfortable. If the wells puff, re-press whereas heat. Cool 5 minutes on the sheet, then switch to a rack.
The right way to Make Nutella Ganache
- For the Nutella ganache, add Nutella to a heatproof bowl. Warmth the cream to a naked simmer, pour over the Nutella, relaxation for five minutes, then stir till silky (it thickens because it cools).
- Fill the cookies: Pipe or spoon into the facilities of chocolate cookies and let set at room temperature.
The Greatest Method to Indent Thumbprint Cookies
I like to recommend utilizing the deal with finish of a wood spoon. You possibly can completely use your thumb – they’re known as thumbprint cookies for a purpose – however for tremendous neat, uniform wells that maintain loads of filling, I desire the management and consistency of a wood spoon deal with. Here is one other trick to picture-perfect facilities: in case your thumbprints puff within the oven, re-press the indentation instantly after they arrive out utilizing the deal with finish of a wood spoon.
Can I make these chocolate hazelnut thumbprints forward of time?
- Sure – what I love to do is combine the dough, refrigerate it in a single day, or pre-scoop into balls, roll in hazelnuts, indent the cookies, then chill or freeze the unbaked rounds in order that they’re able to bake contemporary proper earlier than serving or gifting.
- Make-Forward Tip: You possibly can roll and indent all of the cookie dough, then put them on one cookie sheet to refrigerate to save lots of area. Since these cookies do not unfold, you may pack them pretty carefully collectively on the baking sheet. Nonetheless, when baking, I like to recommend doing so in two batches.
Ideas for Success
- Crumbly texture: These cookies are comprised of a wealthy chocolate-flavor dough; it is regular for it to really feel crumbly after mixing. It may not come collectively in the identical method different cookie doughs do.
- I’ve diminished the quantity of butter in order that the cookies do not unfold within the oven. Cease mixing as soon as the flour has included, then use your fingers to deliver the dough collectively as you’d with pastry. Don’t be tempted so as to add extra liquid, as it will have an effect on the ultimate bake.
- Chilling is a crucial step. Not solely does this assist enhance the flavour (particularly if chilled in a single day), it additionally helps the thumbprint cookies preserve their form throughout baking.
Chocolate Hazelnut Thumbprint Cookies (with Nutella)
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Components
For the cookies
- 1 ½ cups all goal flour spooned and leveled
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon high-quality sea salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- ¼ cup mild brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 giant egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk
- ¾ cup finely chopped hazelnuts
For the Nutella Ganache
- ½ cup Nutella
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Directions
Make chocolate thumbprints:
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In a medium bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, then whisk collectively. Put aside.
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In a big mixing bowl or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars on medium velocity till mild and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
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Add the egg yolk, vanilla, and milk, then beat once more till easy, scraping down the edges of the bowl as wanted.
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With the mixer working on its lowest velocity, add the flour combination in two additions, mixing till solely simply mixed. The dough will look fairly crumbly, by which case, use your fingers to press it collectively right into a easy ball.
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Cowl the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of an hour, or in a single day in the event you desire.
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While you’re able to bake, let the dough sit at room temperature for 10-Quarter-hour to melt barely. Scoop 1 tablespoon parts (about 20g every). Roll the cookie dough into easy balls, then roll every ball within the chopped hazelnuts.
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Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Press an indentation into the middle of every cookie utilizing your thumb or the deal with finish of a wood spoon.
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Refrigerate the formed cookies for one more half-hour previous to baking. This can guarantee they maintain their form.
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Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or till the sides are set and the facilities are nonetheless barely comfortable. If the indentations puff up, gently press them down once more whereas the cookies are nonetheless heat. Cool on the baking sheet for five minutes, then switch to a wire rack to chill utterly.
Make the Nutella Ganache:
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The Nutella Ganache is a bit of softer than a traditional chocolate one. It’s a lot simpler to make since you do not have to fret about your chocolate splitting! It should thicken because it cools. You will have solely 2 components: Nutella and cream.
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Add the Nutella to a heatproof bowl. Warmth the cream in a small saucepan till it’s simply simmering however not boiling. Pour the recent cream over the Nutella, let it sit for five minutes, then stir collectively to create a silky, easy, creamy Nutella Ganache.
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Switch the ganache to a piping bag, then snip off the tip with scissors. Fill the facilities of the hazelnut cookies with the ganache. Enable to set at room temperature.
Notes
- Nut choices: I used finely chopped hazelnuts. You too can use chopped toasted almonds, pistachios, or pecans.
- Nuts that stick: Preserve dough barely cheesy – do not flour your fingers. Roll dough balls in finely chopped hazelnuts, then press them on firmly for even protection (roll-press-roll).
- Indent once more whereas heat out of the oven (if wanted): If the facilities puff, re-press the indentation instantly out of the oven utilizing the deal with of a wood spoon.
- Keep away from ganache separation: Heat cream must be sizzling however not boiling. Let it sit on the Nutella for five minutes, then stir till shiny to keep away from oily separation.
- Set earlier than stacking: Let ganache set at room temp (or chill briefly) earlier than boxing up; this retains cookie containers neat for gifting and cookie exchanges.
- Why did my cookies crack? Over-creaming butter/sugar, or including an excessive amount of cocoa/flour, may cause cracks. Measure by weight or spoon-and-level, and cease mixing as quickly because the dough comes collectively.
Storage, Freezing, and Make-Forward Directions
- Room Temperature: Retailer crammed cookies in a single layer in an hermetic container for as much as 3-4 days. Preserve them out of direct daylight and away from warmth sources to keep up the ganache’s shiny end.
- Fridge: For longer storage, refrigerate for as much as 1 week. Deliver to room temperature earlier than serving so the facilities soften barely and the chocolate taste shines.
- Freezer: Unfilled cookies will be frozen for as much as 2 months. Thaw at room temperature, then fill with ganache simply earlier than serving. Keep away from freezing crammed cookies, because the ganache can lose its easy texture as soon as defrosted.
- Make forward: Unfilled cookies will be baked, cooled, and frozen for as much as 2 months, that means it is a nice make-ahead cookies recipe, excellent for the vacation season!
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