A high altitude recipe for chocolate thumbprint cookies, made with soft and chewy sugar cookies filled with rich chocolate ganache.
You might also love these raspberry jam thumbprint cookies, buttercream frosted soft sugar cookies, and no spread vanilla cutout sugar cookies.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Quick and Easy. You don’t need a mixer to make the cookie dough, and you’ll be enjoying freshly baked cookies in about an hour and a half.
Basic Pantry Ingredients. There’s nothing fancy or hard to find in today’s recipe, just basic staples that you likely have in your pantry already.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour. Gives the cookies structure and strength.
- Corn Starch. Tenderizes the cookie dough for a softer sugar cookie.
- Powdered Sugar. Adds sweetness, while the fine texture keeps the cookies soft and tender.
- Baking powder. This is the leavening agent that makes the sugar cookies fluffy.
- Salt. Balances the sweetness.
- Unsalted Butter. Adds moisture and fat to the cookies for a flavorful, tender texture.
- Egg Yolks. Gives the cookies structure and strength. Using just the yolks, instead of the whole egg, not only makes the cookies more chewy and soft, but also prevents them from spreading too much as they bake.
- Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
- Granulated Sugar. For rolling the dough balls before baking.
- Chocolate + Heavy Whipping Cream. For making the ganache. I recommend a semi sweet or dark chocolate around 45-55% cacao.
Instructions
Make the Cookie Dough
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, corn starch, powdered sugar, baking powder and salt, until well combined.
- Add the cold butter pieces, and use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour mixture until very small pieces of butter remain, and the mixture is crumbly.
- Add the vanilla extract and egg yolks, and stir in to moisten the dry ingredients, then use your hands to work the moisture in until it comes together into a soft dough.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop the dough into 20 equal portions.
- Roll each portion of dough into a smooth ball, then coat the dough balls in the 1/4 cup of granulated sugar. Press the bottom of a 1/2 tsp measuring spoon into each dough ball to indent the center.
- Cover and chill the unbaked cookies in the refrigerator for 1 hour, to help them maintain their shape as they bake.
Bake the Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line a large baking sheet with a piece of nonstick baking paper or parchment paper.
- Place the chilled cookies 3 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for about 10-11 minutes, just until the edges are set, and the color is a pale golden brown. If the centers of the cookies puffed a little, immediately use a teaspoon to press the centers of the cookies down again, making a well that you’ll be filling with ganache. They may seem a little doughy and under-baked in the centers, but that’s how they should be, and they will set up as they cool. You don’t want to over-bake these cookies or they can get dry.
- Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool while you make the ganache.
Fill with Ganache
- In a small saucepan, combine the cream and chopped chocolate. Warm the mixture over medium low heat, stirring with a spatula, just until the cream is warm and the chocolate is starting to melt. Remove from the heat and stir into a smooth ganache.
- Spoon the ganache into the centers of the cookies. The ganache will firm up and set in about an hour.
- Store cookies in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I freeze chocolate thumbprint cookies?
If you want to bake the cookies in advance and freeze them, I recommend freezing the cookies without the ganache. Thaw the cookies completely, then fill with ganache.
Do I have to chill the cookie dough?
Yes, chilling the dough is necessary to help keep the thumbprint shape of the cookies when they bake.
Can I make the ganache with chocolate chips?
I usually don’t recommend making ganache with chocolate chips. Chocolate chips contain stabilizers which prevent them from melting smoothly, which can affect the texture and consistency of your ganache. I always make my ganache with Chocolove 55% Dark Chocolate – it’s great for both baking and eating.
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High Altitude Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Medium Cookie Scoop with Release Lever (1 1/2 – 2 tbsp capacity)
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ¾ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
- 2 large egg yolks (save the whites for another use)
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- ¼ cup granulated sugar, for rolling the dough balls
- 2 oz heavy whipping cream
- 2 oz good quality chocolate, roughly chopped
Instructions
Make the Cookie Dough
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, corn starch, powdered sugar, baking powder and salt, until well combined.
- Add the cold butter pieces, and use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour mixture until very small pieces of butter remain, and the mixture is crumbly.
- Add the vanilla extract and egg yolks, and stir in to moisten the dry ingredients, then use your hands to work the moisture in until it comes together into a soft dough.Tip: If you're having a hard time getting the dough to come together, your egg yolks may be on the small side, and you may need to add more moisture, either with another egg yolk, or a very small amount of milk.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop the dough into 20 equal portions.
- Roll each portion of dough into a smooth ball, then coat the dough balls in the 1/4 cup of granulated sugar. Press the bottom of a 1/2 tsp measuring spoon into each dough ball to indent the center.
- Cover and chill the unbaked cookies in the refrigerator for 1 hour, to help them maintain their shape as they bake.
Bake the Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line a large baking sheet with a piece of nonstick baking paper or parchment paper.
- Place the chilled cookies 3 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for about 10-11 minutes, just until the edges are set, and the color is a pale golden brown. If the centers of the cookies puffed a little, immediately use a teaspoon to press the centers of the cookies down again, making a well that you'll be filling with ganache. They may seem a little doughy and under-baked in the centers, but that's how they should be, and they will set up as they cool. You don't want to over-bake these cookies or they can get dry.
- Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool while you make the ganache.
Fill with Ganache
- In a small saucepan, combine the cream and chopped chocolate. Warm the mixture over medium low heat, stirring with a spatula, just until the cream is warm and the chocolate is starting to melt. Remove from the heat and stir into a smooth ganache.
- Spoon the ganache into the centers of the cookies. The ganache will firm up and set in about an hour.
- Store cookies in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
grace
I followed the recipe but my dough was no where near pictured, it was dry, crumbly and would not come together. I ended up adding the egg whites but still not where as smooth. I did spoon the flour into a measuring cup. What did I miss?
Heather Smoke
It’s hard for me to say when I wasn’t in the kitchen with you, but it does sound like too much flour or not enough butter got measured. This is the same dough I use for my raspberry thumbprint cookies, and is one I’ve tested many times.
https://curlygirlkitchen.com/high-altitude-raspberry-thumbprint-sugar-cookies/
Tiffany Davis
Grace, The same thing happened to me. I doubled the recipe and measured carefully. But instead of four egg yolks I ended up having to add six to get the dough to stick together. I haven’t baked mine yet but they are chilling in the fridge and I’m excited to try them.