Chocolate Mint Thumbprints Recipes

MINT-FILLED CHOCOLATE THUMBPRINTS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F (if using dark or nonstick cookie sheet, heat oven to 350°F). In large bowl, beat granulated sugar, 1 cup butter and the vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in egg yolk until smooth. Beat in flour and cocoa.
• Shape dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into 1-inch balls. On ungreased cookie sheet, place balls 1 inch apart. With index finger or thumb, make indentation in center of each ball.
• Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until set. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• In small bowl, beat 1/4 cup butter and the powdered sugar on low speed until smooth. Beat in milk, peppermint extract and enough food color for desired color. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon filling into each cookie.
• Place chocolate chips and shortening in small resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag. Microwave on High about 1 minute or until softened. Gently squeeze bag until chocolate is smooth; cut off tiny corner of bag. Squeeze bag to drizzle chocolate over cookies. Let stand about 1 hour or until chocolate is set.

CHOCOLATE-MINT THUMBPRINTS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with cooking parchment paper.
• In large bowl, beat 1 cup butter and the powdered sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in peppermint extract, egg yolks and food color until blended. On low speed, beat in flour, baking powder and salt.
• Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Using end of handle of wooden spoon, press a deep well into center of each cookie.
• Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set. Reshape wells with end of handle of wooden spoon. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
• In medium microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, cream and 3 tablespoons butter on High 1 minute, stirring frequently, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Fill each well with about 1 teaspoon chocolate mixture; garnish with candy piece. Let stand about 1 hour until chocolate is set.

CHOCOLATE MINT THUMBPRINTS

Steps:

• Make Cookies: Sift the flour and cocoa together into a medium bowl. With a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and salt; continue beating until blended and smooth, about 1 minute more. Add the flour-cocoa mixture and mix on low speed until a soft dough forms, about 1 minute. Chill the dough in the refrigerator until firm enough to roll into balls, 40 to 60 minutes (or longer). Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment or nonstick baking liners. Using your palms, roll heaping teaspoonfuls of the dough into 1-inch balls. Arrange them 2 inches apart on the lined sheets. With a lightly floured thumb or index finger-tip, press straight down into the middle of each ball almost to the cookie sheet to make a deep well. (Or use the end of a thick-handled wooden spoon.) They may be a little stubborn and want to break apart, but stick with it... they'll stay put if you work at it. Bake one sheet at a time until the tops of the cookies look dry, 8 to 9 minutes. Gently redefine the indentations with the end of a wooden spoon. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes and then let them cool completely on racks. 5. Make the filling: Put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl. Microwave for 30 second bursts (stirring after each heating) until melted and smooth. Stir in the mint extract. Let the filling cool, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and a bit warmer than room temperature, 30 to 40 minutes. Spoon the filling into a small pastry bag with a small plain tip. (Or use a small plastic bag and cut a tiny bit off a bottom corner of the bag.) Pipe the filling into the center of each cookie. Cool completely before serving or storing.

CHOCOLATE-MINT THUMBPRINTS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375. In large bowl, beat sugar, 1 cup butter and the vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in egg yolk until smooth. Beat in flour and cocoa.
• Shape dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into 1 inch balls. On ungreased cookie sheet, place balls 1 inch apart. With inxes finger or thumb, make indentation in center of each ball.
• Bake 7-9 minutes or until set. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• In small bowl, beat 1/4 cup butter and the powdered sugar on low speed until smooth. Beat in milk, peppermint extract and enough food color for desired color. Spoon about 1/2 t. filling into each cookie.
• Melt the chocolate chips and shortening, and drizzle over the tops of each cookie.

CHOCOLATE-MINT THUMBPRINTS

Steps:

• In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the bittersweet and mint chocolates in 30-second intervals until nearly melted. Whisk until smooth, then let cool. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the cocoa and salt.
• In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter until creamy. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks and vanilla. Scrape the chocolate into the mixer and beat just until incorporated. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed, scraping the side of the bowl occasionally, until smooth. Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap and pat it into a 7-inch disk; wrap it up and refrigerate until chilled and firm, at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350° and position racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Spread the coarse sugar in a shallow bowl. Scoop up tablespoons of the dough and roll them into balls, then roll in the coarse sugar; transfer to the baking sheets. Using your thumb or a melon baller, make an indentation in the center of each cookie. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, until slightly firm. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven. Using the melon baller, press into the cookies again. Return the cookies to the oven, shifting the cookie sheets, and bake for 5 minutes longer, just until dry but not hard. Transfer the cookie sheets to racks to cool completely.
• Put the white chocolate in a heatproof cup. Put the cream into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave at high power until boiling, about 30 seconds. Pour the hot cream over the white chocolate and let stand until melted, then whisk until smooth. Stir in the peppermint extract. Fill the thumbprints with the white-chocolate ganache and refrigerate just until set, about 30 minutes.