Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies / #ChristmasCookies

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This post is sponsored in conjunction with Christmas Cookies Week. I received product samples from sponsor companies to aid in the creation of the Christmas Cookies Week recipes. All opinions are mine alone.

On day 3 of #ChristmasCookiesWeek I thought it would be fun to make a holiday version of a cookie that most of us have eaten throughout our lives. Is there anything tastier than the thumbprint cookie? During the holidays, the Thumbprint Cookie is pretty much a staple around here. We make it every year, and I always try to make a new variation of this favorite just to keep it fun!

This thumbprint cookie fits perfectly into our Christmas tins. They are small enough to be considered a filler cookie, but I like to make simpler cookies the fillers, and let the other cookies kinda "hog the spotlight"! This tasty Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprint Cookie is a definite "cookie tin" hog! It has a great peppermint flavor, thanks to Adams Extract, and the chocolate dough is a natural taste sensation with the peppermint! Add the chunky  peppermint, and you have a cookie very few people will turn down! Building your cookie tin, it's important to use some universally liked flavors, such as the peppermint, or maybe gingerbread or egg nog. You want people to love your cookies! 

Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies
(Printable recipe at end of page)

1 cup Butter, softened
1 cup powdered Sugar
1 cup granulated Sugar
2 large Eggs
1 teaspoon Vegetable Oil
2 teaspoons Vanilla
5 1/4 cup Flour
1 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2-4 tablespoons Adams Peppermint Extract
10 oz. bag Peppermint Baking Chunks, chop small
1 10 oz. bag Candy Cane Kisses
1  12 oz bag SemiSweet Chocolate Chips
2 teaspoon Milk
4 -5 tablespoons Milk 
1 3.5 oz. Candy Cane Bar

Beat the butter until it is fluffy. Add both sugars and beat until combined.

Add the eggs, oil, vanilla and 2 tablespoons of peppermint extract. Mix until blended. 

Use another bowl and mix together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mix to the wet mix. Blend until completely mixed. test the batter to see if you want to add more peppermint extract. If you do, add 1-2 more tablespoons. Stir in the chopped peppermint baking chunks. 

In a double boiler, melt the bag of semisweet chips. Add the milk as they are melting. It will help the chocolate smooth out. Add the melted chocolate to the cookie batter and mix together. reserve a 1/8 cup for the drizzle when you serve them.

Start scooping the dough into a scoop, if available. You can also use a spoon. You want your dough balls to be very close in size. Place on a cookie sheet, leaving space like above. 

To place an indentation in the middle of the cookie, I use a pestle. If you don't have one available, use any rounded object, such as the end of a wooden spoon. Before placing the pestle in to the dough, spray a very small amount of oil on the top. The oil will prevent the pestle from sticking to your dough. I use a spray canola oil, and wipe off the excess with a paper towel. Bake for 9-11 minutes. It will be difficult to tell if the cookies are brown, just watch the clock for time. Remove cookie from oven and place on a cooling rack.

Immediately upon removing the cookies from the oven, place unwrapped candy cane kisses onto each cookie. Let cool.

Once cookies are on a serving tray, toss a few of the chunks around on the cookies, then drizzle the cookies with the reserved chocolate. If it is too thick, warm up a small amount of milk or cream in the microwave, and mix it into the chocolate a little at a time, until it has a drizzle consistancy. Serve and Enjoy!

A few notes: This cookie dough can be made ahead of time. After you have added the chocolate and mixed it in, divide the dough in half, wrap them in plastic and refrigerate. When you are ready to make the dough balls, mix the doughs together in a bowl. If the mix is a bit dry, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition. Then return to the recipe!

Don't forget about all the other fun and tasty recipes from my blogging friends! You can find them below:

#ChristmasCookiesWeek Wednesday Recipes 

• Andes Mint Chocolate Brownies by Hardly A Goddess
• Snickerdoodle Crinkle Cookies by Daily Dish Recipes
• Brownie Bites with Peppermint Buttercream by Grumpy's Honeybunch
• Brown Sugar Pecan Christmas Tree Cookies by Family Around The Table
• Chocolate Chip Vanilla Cookies by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies by The Freshman Cook
• Cinnamon Roll No Bake Cookies by Kelly Lynn's Sweets and Treats
• Eggnog Macarons by The Redhead Baker
• Ginger Crinkle Cookies by Bear & Bug Eats
• Crispy Gingersnap Cookies by Everyday Eileen
• Holiday Cut-Out Sugar Cookies by Corn, Beans, Pigs & Kids
• Irish Shortbread Cookies by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Oatmeal Cranberry Walnut Cookies by Tip Garden
• Purely Peppermint Shortbread by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Turkish Baklava by House of Nash Eats
• Vegan Peppermint Bark Madeleines by The Baking Fairy
• Waffle Iron Cookies by Jolene's Recipe Journal

Have you entered the giveaway yet? There are some great prizes, so enter here for a chance to win!

Thank you for stopping by today! I think our cookie tin is coming along fabulously, don't you?! Only 2 more cookies left! Stop by tomorrow for a very pretty and delicate Sugar Cookie Ornament!
Happy Baking!

Author: The Freshman Cook

Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprints

ingredients:

1 cup Butter, softened

1 cup powdered Sugar

1 cup granulated Sugar

2 large Eggs

1 teaspoon Vegetable Oil

2 teaspoons Vanilla

5 1/4 cup Flour

1 teaspoon Cream of Tartar

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/4 teaspoon Salt

2-4 tablespoons Adams Peppermint Extract

10 oz. bag Peppermint Baking Chunks, chop small

1 10 oz. bag Candy Cane Kisses

1  12 oz bag SemiSweet Chocolate Chips

2 teaspoon Milk

4 -5 tablespoons Milk 

1 3.5 oz. Candy Cane Bar

instructions:

1. Beat the butter until it is fluffy. Add both sugars and beat until combined.
2. Add the eggs, oil, vanilla and 2 tablespoons of peppermint extract. Mix until blended. 
3. Use another bowl and mix together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mix to the wet mix. Blend until completely mixed. test the batter to see if you want to add more peppermint extract. If you do, add 1-2 more tablespoons. Stir in the chopped peppermint baking chunks. 
4. In a double boiler, melt the bag of semisweet chips. Add the milk as they are melting. It will help the chocolate smooth out. Add the melted chocolate to the cookie batter and mix together. reserve a 1/8 cup for the drizzle when you serve them.
5. Start scooping the dough into a scoop, if available. You can also use a spoon. You want your dough balls to be very close in size. Place on a cookie sheet, leaving space like above. 
6. To place an indentation in the middle of the cookie, I use a pestle. If you don't have one available, use any rounded object, such as the end of a wooden spoon. Before placing the pestle in to the dough, spray a very small amount of oil on the top. The oil will prevent the pestle from sticking to your dough. I use a spray canola oil, and I wipe off the excess with a paper towel if I spray too much.
   Bake for 9-11 minutes. It will be difficult to tell if the cookies are brown, just watch the clock for time. Remove cookie from oven and place on a cooling rack.
7. Immediately upon removing the cookies from the oven, place unwrapped candy cane kisses onto each cookie. Let cool.
8. Once cookies are on a serving tray, toss a few of the chunks around on the cookies, then drizzle the cookies with the reserved chocolate. If it is too thick, warm up a small amount of milk or cream in the microwave, and mix it into the chocolate a little at a time, until it has a drizzle consistancy. Serve and Enjoy!
9. A few notes: This cookie dough can be made ahead of time. After you have added the chocolate and mixed it in, divide the dough in half, wrap them in plastic and refrigerate. When you are ready to make the dough balls, mix the doughs together in a bowl. If the mix is a bit dry, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition. Then return to the recipe!

Created using The Recipes Generator

Disclaimer: Thank you #ChristmasCookiesWeek sponsors: Adams Extract, Sprinkle Pop, YumGoggle and Silpat for providing the prizes free of charge. The #ChristmasCookiesWeek giveaway is open to U.S. residents, age 18 & up. All entries for the winner will be checked and verified. By entering you give the right to use your name and likeness. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. Four (4) winners will be selected at random from entries received. The prize packages will be fulfilled by and sent directly from the giveaway sponsors. #ChristmasCookiesWeek bloggers are not responsible for the fulfillment or delivery of the prize packages. Bloggers hosting this giveaway and their immediate family members in their household are not eligible to enter or win the giveaway. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or any other social channel mentioned in the #ChristmasCookiesWeek posts or entry.

Snowflake Thumbprint Cookies

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Thumbprint cookies are some of my favorite cookies. I love their versatility, and how easy it is to creatively adapt them to any celebration or party. So these Snowflake Thumbprint Cookies are a celebration of winter and snow, and the fact that I am not in any snow!

These cookies are part of a care package that I am sending to my old neighbor, Skip. As I have mentioned before in this post, he was the best neighbor ever, and since we moved away from Utah, we have gone to visit with him a few times. We really miss him! My son was there a few months ago, and I asked him to go see Skip. I was a little worried that he seemed out of sorts and forgetful when I spoke to him on the phone. To make a long story short, Skip has dementia, and he is now living in a care facility in east Ohio, very near his family. While I am so glad his family is watching out for him,  I am so sad, because I know how much he loved his home in Utah, and his life there. Anyway, I know that Skip will be happy to get these goodies, and I hope they make him smile!

 Snowflake Thumbprint Cookies

Halloween Thumbprint Cookies!

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Thumbprint cookies are one of my favorite cookies to make. I love that you can always change the colors to go with any occasion, and I use them as fillers (for lack of a better word), when I send Christmas cookies. What I mean is that I put a few in with the other cookies in a tin to fill in the little holes, or I toss a couple in a bag to give the right amount of color to a basket. They are versatile, pretty and everyone always loves them. All good qualities for a cookie! No wonder they are one of my favorites. I hope these become one of your too!

Halloween Thumbprint Cookies!

(adapted from Southern Living)

(makes 7 dozen)

• 1 cup Butter
• 1cup Powdered Sugar
• 1 cup Granulated Sugar
• 2 large Eggs
• 1 teaspoons Vegetable Oil
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla
• 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
• 5 1/4 cup Flour
• 1 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat your butter on medium until it is fluffy.

Add both sugars, and beat well.

Add your eggs, oil, vanilla and lemon juice.

Beat until blended.

 In a separate bowl, mix together your flour, cream of tartar,

baking soda and salt.

Beat until blended. 

Shape dough into 1" balls.

Take your thumb, or the end of a wooden spoon,

and make an indentation in the middle of each cookie.

Bake for 9-11 minutes.

Do not brown these cookies. They will get a little brown

on the bottom. When they do, they are done.

Place on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Once your cookies are cooled, 

they are ready to be frosted.

I used Antonia74 Royal Icing.

I love this icing and it has always worked great for me.

I used Americolor Super Black and Orange for the colors.

I colored about 1/2 cup of each color.

I used a wilton #10 tip to fill each of the thumbprints.

Let dry completely.

I filled 3 boxes with these cookies as a special

Halloween gift. I have lots left over for other friends.

Aren't these boxes cute? I picked these up at Home Goods 

about a month ago.

Enjoy!

Thanks for joining me today!

Happy Halloween!

We are partying at these fun spots:
Trick or Treat Tuesday 

Red, White and Blue Thumbprints!

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Well, it is Day 14 of our "15 Days of Red, White and Blue" series, and today we are posting one of my favorite cookies, thumbprints! I have been in love with this cookie since I was a little girl. There is something about the sweet, buttery flavor of this cookie! When I was growing up, there was a bakery not too far from my house. My brothers and sisters and my mom and I would walk down the hill to the bakery, and always, the woman behind the counter would give us a complimentary cookie! What fun! I would always have a difficult time deciding between the icing of my favorite cookie, a type of buttery thumbprint. Did I want yellow, green, or pink icing? It's was always a big decision. I really don't know why, because they all tasted the same! But it was a decision I took very seriously, and the bakery lady was always so sweet and patient. Now, I haven't been in that bakery in quite a few years, but I have been salivating over the memory of the cookies, and I am on a quest to find a recipe for them. This recipe for Red, White and Blue thumbprints is not exactly like my cherished bakery cookies, but these are close, and oh soooooo delicious!

Red, White and Blue Thumbprints

(from Ladies Home Journal 12/10)
Makes 5 1/2 dozen
2 2/3 cups all purpose Flour

1 teaspoon Salt

1 cup Butter, softened

1 cup Sugar

1 Egg

1 teaspoon Vanilla

Antonia74 Icing

3/4 cup Warm Water

5 tablespoons Meringue Powder

1 teaspoon Cream of Tartar

2.25 pounds of Confectioners Sugar

Americolor Holiday Red

Americolor Royal Blue

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream your butter and sugar together on medium high

until fluffy, about 4 minutes.

Beat in egg and vanilla.

On low speed, add in flour mixture.

Once mixed together, wrap your dough in plastic wrap

and chill it until firm. It should take 

about 1 1/2 hours.

Roll 1" balls of dough and place them about 1"

apart on your baking sheet.

Using your finger, make an indentation in the center of each one.

Bake for 15 minutes, until cooked through, but not golden.

Remove the cookies from your oven.

Re-indent each cookie if it needs it.

Then allow to cool.

Icing Instructions

In your mixer bowl, pour in the warm water and
the meringue powder. Mix by hand with a whisk until frothy,
about 30 seconds.
Add the cream of tartar and mix again for 30 seconds.
Pour all of the confectioners sugar into the bowl at once.
Using the paddle attachment on the lowest speed,
mix slowly for a full 10 minutes.
When done, transfer a little icing to 3 different bowls.
I like to use plastic bowls with lids.
The icing gets crusty and dry if it is uncovered for even a few minutes.
Color the icing in one bowl with the red coloring.
Also add water to get the correct consistency
You basically want 10 second icing here.
That means that you can take a spoon through the middle of the
icing and it will take 10 seconds for it to go back together again.
Do the same exact thing with your second bowl,
only use the blue coloring.
For the third bowl, just make the correct consistency.
No color is needed, of course.

I used a Wilton Tip #5 to fill in the indentations in the cookie.

Once the indentation is filled in, shake the cookie
side to side, just slightly to smooth the icing out.

Fill in the white the same way,

and the red also. Let dry.

Enjoy your cookies!

Thanks for joining me today!

Stop by tomorrow for Day 15
of "15 Days of Red, White and Blue"
 and
Have a Happy 4th!