While searching for cookie recipes for my 12 weeks of Christmas Cookie posts I came across Abby Dodge’s Double Dark Chocolate Thumbprints on Fine Cooking. It’s a chocolate cookie with a dollop of chocolate on top in the middle and it looked to me like a Junior Mint sitting on top of a delicious chewy chocolate cookie.
The original recipe was a typical round cookie, but I thought it would be fun to make cookie cups in a mini muffin tin so they would be easier to fill and you could get more chocolate filling in the “thumbprint”.
Nielsen-Massey sent me a selection of their high quality extracts, including their Pure Peppermint Extract that I’ve been anxious to try. I decided peppermint would add a wonderful holiday twist to Abby’s cookie recipe. I also used the Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla in this recipe, which is fabulous too.
These cookie cups taste similar to fudgy, chewy brownie bites with a mild peppermint flavor and luscious chocolate center. We all loved this cookie. I think it’s one of my better ideas. Bet you can’t eat just one!
Ingredients
- 1-1/3 cups (6 oz.) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. table salt
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 cup (4 oz. - 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1-1/3 cups granulated sugar
- 1-1/2 oz. (1/2 cup) natural, unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
- 1/2 cup (3 oz.) bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled slightly (I used semisweet chips)
- (I used 1 cup Ghiradelli Double Chocolate Dipping & Candy-Making Bar and no butter)
- 1/2 cup (3 oz.) bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 4 Tbs. (2 oz.) unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces
Directions
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Spray a mini muffin tin with spray with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and cocoa powder on medium speed until well blended, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and the beater. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until blended after each addition, about 30 seconds, and adding the vanilla and peppermint extract along with the last egg. Continue mixing on medium speed until well blended, about 1 minute. Add the cooled, melted chocolate and mix until just blended, about 30 seconds. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until well blended, about 1 minute.
- Using a mini ice cream scoop or spoon, drop a tablespoon of dough into each cup of prepared mini muffin tins. Fill the muffin cups only about 2/3 full. Bake, one tin at a time, until the cookies are puffed and the tops are cracked and look dry, 11 to 15 minutes. When the cookies are just out of the oven, use the end of a thick-handled wooden spoon to make a small, deep well in the center of each cookie. Let the cookies sit on the muffin tin for 5 minutes and then transfer them to a rack to cool completely. (At this point, you can fill the cookies immediately, or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 1 month before filling.)
- Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave or in a medium bowl set in a skillet of barely simmering water, stirring with a rubber spatula until smooth. Remove from the heat and set aside until cool and slightly thickened.
- Spoon the chocolate mixture into the wells of the cooled cookies. Set aside until the chocolate firms up, about 1 hour. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies adapted from Fine Cooking
I only had one 24 cup mini muffin tin, so I made the rest of the dough into cookies and drizzled them with dark and white chocolate. Although we preferred the cookie cups because you get more chocolate, both versions were delicious and make a perfect holiday cookie.
This post is part of a 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies blog hog. Be sure and check out all of the fabulous cookies the other 12 weeks of Christmas Cookies bakers baked up this week.
Some of the links in my posts may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Thank you for supporting Barbara Bakes when you shop!
I love to bake, especially cookies, cakes, and pies. I’ll post my adventures in the kitchen, my favorite new recipes, as well as our family favorites.
These look so pretty and delicious! We love mint anything around our house.
Chocolate and mint is my absolute favorite combination….even more than chocolate and peanut butter! These look fabulous Barbara.
Oh My ~ I think Abby Dodge would definitely approve of this version!
I love the chocolate mint combo. These look DELISH!
Oooh, Barbara! These looks beautiful and so tempting!
That’s so neat that this recipe can be made in two different versions. But, I’m with you. I think the cookie cups would be my faves.
I am a huge peppermint person, i have peppermint lattes all the time. So when someone make peppermint and a chocolate combination i jump on it. These looks so good.
They look delicious! I love the cookie version; they look absolutely wonderful.
These are so cute, and I love how decadent they look! Bookmarking these!
Oh yum, yum, yum! They look delicious! I like the look of them in the mini muffin pan. So cute!
YUM!!! They look kinda like brownies bites! Love all the chocolate!
Barabara, these look half like brownies half like cookies. I love the texture and the filling.
Those look gorgeous! I love the fact that they look a bit like Brownies.
Cheers,
Rosa
Looks like you improved an already great recipe! I love Fine Cooking’s website. These cookies really do look perfectly delicious, Barbara! I KNOW I wouldn’t be able to eat just one!
How cute are those??! I don’t have a mini muffin tin, so I’m going to have to resort to the cookies…
You cant go wrong with chocolate and mint. It’s a favorite of the lkddo so you lnow it’s my home often. I like the muffin looking ones best!
Geez, I sure cant spell. That would be kiddo and “know it’s in my home often”. I’m such a ditz! I was typing faster then I was thinking…or something like that.
These look yuuuuummmmmy-love peppermint!:)
Chocolate and Mint go really well together! It’s also perfect for the festive season.
My favorite flavors in a bite size mini muffin. Can’t wait to try these.
oh YUMMY! i love the chocolate mint combo!
So creative! I have only made the thumbprint cookies with jam in the center. These are such a great twist on that classic – can’t go wrong with chocolate!
OMG Barbara, those look positively amazing!!!
I am glad I have not made the cookies from Fine Cooking yet. I had printed the recipe to make this week, but I love your adaptation and I can’t wait to try them Monday. Thank you!
Hey barbara,
They looks real yumm..Have added my cashew cookies to your linky..Check out the event in my blog..:)Going to link back in my blog post…:)
Wow these looks sinful. Hope you’re doing well, Alison
These are so pretty Barbara, I have have never made thumbprints before and how you’ve swirled that zig zag icing over them really finishes them off. I wonder if thumbprint cookies are more an American thing as I see them on US blogs but rarely in the UK but I don’t see a reason why as they’re so versatile.
What a fabulous idea cooking these in mini muffin trays, gives the cookie that little bit more umph
Like it.
Wow! Those look too perfect! Yum!
I’m hosting a Christmas Recipe party on Thursday (with prizes). Hope you can stop by!
Those are so pretty Barbara! I love chocolate and mint together…love the white drizzle!
These look great too! I think fudgy and brownie like = perfect. I will miss all of these great cookies when Xmas finally comes.
Ooh at first I thought they were mini cupcakes! Maybe you’ve just invented the first mini cupcake cookie mum!
xxx
Chocolate and mint are one of my favorite holiday combos! Love these cute little cookies, Barbara!
Wow, these look so delicious. I love chocolate peppermint desserts, and thumbprint cookies are some of my favorites. I can’t wait to try these! They would be perfect for a cookie swap!
These look heavenly. Some chocolate goodness.
These cookies look just like the kind I need to be in a good mood this holiday season! Plus, I had ordered that peppermint extract months ago but never got around to using it! they look smashing.
Cookie cups not only sound great they look like they taste fabulous!!!
Barbara…your creativity paid off…and I shall try your technique over the holidays for sure ;o)
Ciao for now,
Claudia
chocolate and peppermint are such a great combo, especially for the holidays! Yum.
I made these today and they are wonderful. I added a sprinkling of crushed candy cane to the tops of mine. Thanks for another fantastic recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them. Thanks for commenting and let me know you made them. Crushed candy cane is the perfect topping! I found myself wishing I had some for the pictures.