Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprint Cookie Cups

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!

Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies
adapted from Fine Cooking

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)

For the chocolate filling
(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

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.)

Make the 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.

Fill the cookies
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.

Yields about 4 dozen cookies.

Print Recipe

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.

Tagged as: 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies, cookie, cooking, Dessert, food, recipe