The kids will love being able to help with these. There’s lots of coating needed the squishing with their thumbs, ideal.
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Chocolate Hazelnut Thumbprints
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup salted butter, softened
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tsp milk
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup finely chopped hazelnuts
- 1 egg white, lightly beaten
- 14 vanilla caramels, unwrapped
- 3 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup milk chocolate pieces
- 1 tsp shortening
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Prep two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl combine flour and cocoa powder and set aside. In another bowl, beat butter until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until well combined, scraping bowl occasionally.
- Beat in egg yolk, milk, and vanilla until combined. Add the flour, and mix well. If the batter gets too tough to mix, use a wooden spoon to finish mixing in the flour. (This will only be an issue if you are using a hand mixer. A stand mixture should power through this no problem.) Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
- Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 1 cup of chopped hazelnuts in a bowl. Dip balls in egg white and roll in hazelnuts. Place 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets. Using your thumb, make an indentation in the center of each cookie. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are firm.
- While the cookies are baking, in a small saucepan cook caramels and cream over low heat until caramels are melted and the mixture is smooth, stirring frequently.
- Immediately after removing cookies from the oven, use the rounded side of a 1-teaspoon measuring spoon to press down the center of each cookie. Transfer to wire racks and cool. Spoon about 1 teaspoon filling into the center of each cookie.
- Using a double boiler, or a glass pyrex-type bowl over a pot of simmering water, heat chocolate until melted, stirring frequently. Stir in shortening until fully combined. Drizzle over cookies in a zig zag pattern. Let cool to harden before storing.
- Store cookies in an air-tight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 weeks.
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