I recently posted a recipe for Orange Cranberry Thumbprint Cookies, they are delicious and distinctly holiday-ish. So I thought ‘how about changing the recipe slightly for the chocolate lover?’ And voila! The Chocolate Walnut Thumbprint Cookie was born!
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HOW TO MAKE THESE PRETTY LITTLE COOKIES:

These cookies are actually very simple: flour, butter, honey, sugar, salt, egg yolk and a hint of cinnamon. After making the dough you roll it into two logs and chill for two hours. Then slice, roll into balls, dip in sugar and walnuts  and bake.

HOW TO GET THE “THUMBPRINT”:

That thumbprint is achieved by removing the cookies from the oven 2/3 of the way through baking time and using the bottom of a wooden spoon, or whatever you have on hand to press that thumb like indentation into the cookie, just don’t use your actual thumb, that would hurt. I actually used the bottom of a cheese slicer. After making the thumbprints, return the cookies to the oven to finish baking. While cookies bake you melt the chocolate to pour into the “thumbprints!”

THE RECIPE: CHOCOLATE WALNUT THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Tips and what you will need:  parchment covered cookie sheet. You can make these cookies gluten free by using your favorite gluten free flour.

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Chocolate Walnut Thumbprint Cookies

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

2 hrs 30 mins

 

A biscuit like cookie rolled in walnuts and filled with chocolate. You may use dark or milk chocolate, whichever you prefer. Note: you will be removing cookies about 2/3 through cooking time to make the thumbprint and then return cookies to the oven.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy dessert recipe, holiday recipe, kid-friendly recipes

Servings: 30 cookies

Author: Linda Spiker

Ingredients

The Cookies:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour you can also use gluten free flour
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup butter 2 sticks, room temperature
• 1/2 cup organic granulated sugar plus a little more for dusting cookies
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract I prefer paste
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3/4 cup raw walnuts chopped finely

The Filling:

• 1/2 chocolate chips melted to package instructions you may use dark or milk chocolate

Instructions

1. Whisk flour, salt and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside
2. Add soft butter and sugar to mixer and mix until well incorporated
3. Add vanilla, egg yolk, and honey, mix well
4. Add flour mixture in thirds mixing well between additions
5. Remove dough from mixer and separate evenly into two balls, then shape and roll each ball into a 9" log
6. Wrap each log in parchment paper, making sure it's as air tight as you can get it, place in a airtight glass container with lid and put in the fridge for two hours (or wrap in plastic, I just hate using plastic). If you only want to cook half a batch you can freeze dough for up to a month.
7. Chop walnuts and place some sugar into a small bowl (not much, maybe a couple of tablespoons)
8. After dough has chilled for two hours, preheat oven to 350 degrees and cover a cookie sheet with parchment
9. Remove one log at a time from the refrigerator, unwrap and slice into 15 rounds
10. Use both of your palms to roll each slice into a ball and dip one half of ball into sugar and then chopped walnuts. You may need to press the nuts into the dough with fingers.Repeat with all the dough and set cookies walnut side up on cookie sheet with 2" space on all sides
11. Place in the oven and bake for 8 minutes, remove from oven and use the round end of a wooden spoon (or what ever works) to create the 'thumbprint' in each cookie. Return the cookies to the oven and bake for five more minutes.
12. Remove cookies from oven and just slide the parchment paper and cookies onto a cooling rack
13. Melt chocolate to package instructions and spoon a little into each thumbprint
14. Serve and enjoy!

MAY I PLEASE ASK A FAVOR?