Christmas Thumbprint Cookies – Two Ways
With just 3 weeks until Christmas, I’m testing more and more cookie recipes, but these thumbprint cookies are a classic and need no introduction! Such a versatile recipe and so many ways of decorating and finishing them! With this basic cookie dough you can let your imagination wild and create countless combinations – fill them with jam, coat them with coconut flakes, walnuts, pistachio or sprinkles, fill them with caramel, drizzle them with milk or white chocolate or add cocoa into the dough and create some chocolatey cookies. I love the sound of every single combination and these are already on my Christmas menu with a special mention from my son – coat them in even more chocolate!
They truly are a holiday hit! They are pretty, crumbly, sweet and fragrant and incredibly versatile! What else can you ask for from a cookie recipe?! Starting from a basic butter dough I made two versions: one coated in chopped hazelnuts and filled with melted dark chocolate and one filled with candied cherries and drizzled with dark chocolate. And they were both amazing! I do like variety for my dessert table on the Christmas day and the idea of making one dough and at least 2 different cookie from it sounds amazing!
Planning your Christmas baking? See all 21 Christmas cookies & holiday treats.
Christmas Thumbprint Cookies – Two Ways
Ingredients
Basic dough:
- 140 g butter (softened)
- 70 g powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 egg
- 300 g all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Hazelnut and chocolate cookies:
- 100 g hazelnuts (roasted and coarsely chopped)
- 1 egg white
- 50 g dark chocolate (melted)
Candied cherry cookies:
- 10-15 candied cherries
- 50 g dark chocolate (melted)
Instructions
Basic dough:
- Sift the flour with salt and baking powder.
- Mix the butter with sugar for 5 minutes until creamy and fluffy.
- Stir in the vanilla and lemon zest then add the egg and mix well.
- Incorporate the flour and knead a few times to form a dough that doesn’t stick to your hands and it’s easy to work with.
- Cut the dough in half and get ready for rolling cookies.
Hazelnut and chocolate cookies:
- Whip the egg white until frothy.
- Take small pieces of dough (1round 15g each) and roll them into a ball.
- Roll each ball into the whipped egg white then through the chopped hazelnuts.
- Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Using your fingertip, make a small indentation in the center of each cookie.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 350F – 180C for 15 minutes or until the edges turn slightly golden brown and crisp.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool in the pan then fill the indentations you made earlier with melted chocolate.
- Let the chocolate set before serving.
Candied cherry cookies:
- Take small pieces of dough (around 15g each) and shape into even balls between the palms of your hands.
- Place the balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper then place one candied cherry in the center of each dough ball. Push it slightly into the dough.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 350F – 180C for 15 minutes or until slightly golden brown on the edges.
- Let the cookies cool in the pan then drizzle with melted dark chocolate.
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