Kate's Quick Bites: Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies
Anthony Padgett, WOSU’s General Manager joined Kate in the kitchen to make some holiday cookies and talk about all things WOSU.
Ingredients
- 11/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 2 teaspoons milk
- Turbinado sugar for rolling
Ganache
- 4 ounce semi-sweet chocolate bar*
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1/4 cup crushed candy canes
*Do not substitute chocolate chips as they have a stabilizer and resist melting.
Prep by allowing butter to soften and egg to be at room temperature.
Finely chop chocolate bar and crush 2 large candy canes
Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl.
Set aside.
In a large bowl beat the butter, brown sugar, and 1/3 cup granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
Add the egg, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract and beat on high speed until combined.
Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Add the milk, and mix on low until combined.
Roll balls of dough, a little less than 1 Tablespoon each (about 1 inch balls), and roll each into remaining Turbinado sugar.
Place dough balls onto a large lined baking sheet. Using your thumb or the end of a spatula make an indent into each cookie.
Chill the shaped cookies for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator or 1 hour in the freezer (or
up to 4 days in the refrigerator). Cover them if chilling for longer than 3 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Remove chilled and shaped cookies from the refrigerator. Space about about 2-3 inches apart on baking sheet.
Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the edges are set. The cookies will still look and feel a little soft. Remove from the oven. The indents will have lost some shape or have puffed up, so use the end of a spatula to make an indent again into the warm cookies.
Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before filling with ganache.
For the ganache: Place chocolate into a heat-proof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it begins to gently simmer.
Pour over chocolate and let it sit for 2-3 minutes to gently soften the chocolate.
Slowly stir until completely combined and chocolate has melted. Stir in the peppermint extract. Taste and add another drop if desired. (It’s potent so don’t go overboard!)
Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before spooning into cookies.
Spoon 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of ganache into each indentation.
Sprinkle ganache with crushed candy canes.
ENJOY with family and friends.
This recipe has been modified from one found on Sally’s Baking Addiction, a favorite site of Kate’s