Club: Baked - Chocolate Mint Thumbprint Cookies

It's time for Club: Baked again!

It was my turn to host the recipe this time around. It was extremely hard to decide WHICH recipe to host because there are so many good ones! I had to convince myself that no matter what I picked, we were ultimately going to cook every recipe anyway, so I would not be losing out... 

When I was growing up, thumbprint cookies were a staple at our family parties... but they looked nothing like these! They were traditional looking and filled with jam - made by my Aunt Charlene. Don't get me wrong, they were delicious but these chocolate ones are out of this world! The combination of mint and chocolate is great to begin with so adding white chocolate ganache - COME ON PEOPLE! A blurb in the cookbook said that these cookies were deemed holiday cookies but I beg to disagree. I'm sure they are delicious at Christmas time (although I save room for Rocky Road only during that time of year) but I liked them in the summer. If you leave these cookies in the fridge and let them get nice and cold, they are very refreshing!

For the Chocolate Mint Thumbprints:
2 ounces good-quality dark chocolate (60-72%)
2 ounces mint chocolate (or Andes mint chocolate candies)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup course sugar for rolling

For the White Chocolate Filling:
3 ounces good-quality white chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 tbsp heavy cream
1/2 tsp pure peppermint extract

Yield: About 40 cookies

Make the Chocolate Mint Thumbprints:
Melt the dark chocolate and mint chocolate together in a microwave or over a double boiler. Whisk until smooth, then set aside to cool.In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl or a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until creamy. Add the granulated and brown sugars and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add the egg yolks and vanilla and beat again until combined.

Scrape the chocolate into the mixer and beat until just incorporated.

Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and add the flour mixture all at once. Beat on low speed, scraping the side of the bowl occasionally, until the dough is smooth. Transfer it to a sheet of plastic wrap and pat it into a disk; wrap and refrigerate it until it is chilled and firm, at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Pour the course sugar into a shallow bowl. With clean hands, form tablespoon-size dough balls, taking care that they have no lumps or cracks. Roll each ball in the course sugar and place it on a prepared baking sheet. Use your thumb or a small dowel to make an indentation in the center of the cookie.   

Bake for 10 minutes, remove the sheet from the oven, and use your thumb or the dowel to make the indentation more visible. Return the sheets to the oven and bake for another 4-5 minutes.These are the type of cookies that can overbake very quickly - pull them out at the first sign of cracking. Set the baking sheets on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely before filling them.

Make the White Chocolate Filling:
Place the white chocolate in a glass measuring cup with a pour spout. Put the cream in a microwave-safe bowl or cup and microwave it on high power until it boils, about 30 seconds. Pour the hot cream over the white chocolate and let it stand for 30 seconds, then whisk until smooth. Stir in the peppermint extract. Fill the thumbprint cookies with the white chocolate ganache and refrigerate them until set, about 30 minutes.These cookies can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

These cookies were pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. I tasted them even before the white chocolate ganache went in and loved them... which is always a good sign. The cookies had a very distinct chocolatey, sugary bite to them. Once you added the filling though... that was heaven. The mint was cold yet sweet - a cool tingly taste. Come to think of it, this cookie is a play off one of my favorite ice cream flavors - mint chocolate chip. The green one of course. If you like that flavor too, you will LOVE these cookies.

I hope others had the same outstanding outcome as me... Check out the other Club: Baked member's thumbprints here.Tutti Mangia!