Description
Chocolate Cherry Thumbprint Cookies are buttery cocoa cookies filled with sweet cherry filling and finished with a smooth chocolate coating. These beautiful homemade cookies are perfect for Christmas baking, Valentine’s Day, cookie exchanges, and chocolate lovers.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Chocolate Cookie Dough:
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups (160g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (40g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the Chocolate Coating:
- 8 oz (225g) semi-sweet or dark chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil or vegetable shortening
For the Cherry Filling:
- 1 cup cherry pie filling (or about 20 maraschino cherries, drained and patted dry)
Instructions
- Cream the softened butter and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl until smooth and creamy.
- Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract. Mix until fully incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mixing on low speed until a soft chocolate dough forms.
- Roll the dough into evenly sized balls and arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving space between each cookie.
- Gently press your thumb or the back of a small spoon into the center of each dough ball to create an indentation.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the edges are set and the centers look slightly firm. Allow the cookies to cool briefly on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare the cherry filling. If using maraschino cherries, drain them thoroughly and pat them dry with paper towels.
- Spoon a small amount of cherry filling into each cooled cookie indentation without overfilling.
- Place the finely chopped chocolate and coconut oil or vegetable shortening in a microwave-safe bowl. Melt gently, stirring between intervals until smooth and glossy.
- Carefully dip or spoon the melted chocolate over the cookies while keeping the cherry centers visible.
- Return the cookies to the parchment-lined baking sheet and allow the chocolate coating to set before serving.
Notes
- Use softened, not melted, butter to create a smooth cookie dough.
- Drain and pat maraschino cherries dry before using to prevent excess moisture.
- Melt the chocolate gently and stir frequently to achieve a smooth coating.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12–15 minutes
- Category: Recipes
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 13 g
- Sodium: 75 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 23 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg
Keywords: Chocolate Cherry Thumbprint Cookies, chocolate thumbprint cookies, cherry chocolate cookies, holiday cookies, chocolate cherry desserts