Chocolate thumbprint cookies
Chocolate thumbprint cookies are a great, easy bake for young children. What’s better than a lovely soft biscuit with a delicious chocolate filling.
Chocolate thumbprint cookies are a great bake for children. They’re an easy buttery biscuit, filled with a chocolate centre (and decorated with smarties or sprinkles).
My kids love anything that’s colourful and lets them get their hands a bit messy, so these cookies are perfect for them.
I like them because they’re really simple and you don’t need any pieces of equipment like rolling pins or cutters. They use only a few ingredients, so they’re relatively quick to make and there’s not too many opportunites to make a lot of mess.
If you like these chocolate thumbprint cookies, you might want to try our jam thumbprint cookies – they’re an equally delicious cookie with a tasty jammy centre.
Why are they called thumbprint cookies?
These cookies get their name from the way you make them. Once you’ve made and shaped the cookie dough, you use your thumb to make an indent which you fill with, in this case, a chocolate filling.
How can kids help make chocolate thumbprint cookies?
These are a great, easy bake for kids. As well as measuring the ingredients and making the cookie dough, my kids enjoyed getting to form the biscuits.
The cookies take their name from the thumbprint hole you make in the centre to take the filling. This is a fun job for little kids – rolling the dough with their hands and then pressing the dent with their fingers. There’s not always a chance for kids to get their hands messy in the kitchen so this is great if you’re kids like to do just that!
If your kids prefer to keep their hands clean, you can always make the ‘thumbprint’ with a small measuring spoon (1/4 tsp worked perfectly for us.)
Once these are baked, you need to fill the hole with the chocolate filling. If your kids have a stead hand, this is another great job for them to do. If your kids are a bit younger, just get them to decorate the cookies by adding a smartie or some sprinkles on top. This bit is optional, but I think when you’re baking with kids a bit of extra colour and sprinkle goes a long way!
How long will thumbprint cookies keep?
These cookies will keep in an airtight container for a few days.
What other cookies can we make?
Chocolate chip cookies
Strawberry cookies
Rainbow M&M cookies
Raspberry and white chocolate cookies
Chocolate marshmallow cookies
Nutella stuffed cookies
White chocolate chip cookies
Smartie cookies
Caramel stuffed cookies
Fudge cookies
Biscoff stuffed cookies
Double chocolate chip cookies
Chocolate dodgers
Bourbon biscuits
Rolo cookies
Or check out all our easy cookie recipes in one place.
Difficulty: Easy
Time: 30 minutes plus 10 minutes baking
Serves: 16+ biscuits
Ingredients
115g (½ cup) butter, unsalted
50g (¼ cup) caster sugar
1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
185g (1 ½ cups) plain/all-purpose flour
For the filling
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 cup icing /powdered sugar
2-3 tbsp hot water
how to make chocolate thumbprint cookies
Preheat the oven to 180C / 170C Fan / 350F / Gas 4, and line 2 baking trays with baking / grease proof paper.
Mix the butter and sugar together
Get your kids to measure the butter (115g) and sugar (50g), and add to a freestanding mixer, or large mixing bowl. Using the k paddle attachment of your mixer, or a hand held mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until they are light and fluffy.
Add the egg yolk and vanilla
Separate the egg yolk from the white and add to your bowl. I normally do this by cracking the egg and passing the yolk from one side of the shell to the other letting the white run out until only the yolk is left. If you’ve got older kids you could let them try this on their own. It’s a good recipe to try this with, as it doesn’t really matter if you get a bit of egg white in with your yolk. Add the vanilla extract (2 tsp).
Mix it again, until it is well combined.
Add the flour
Get your kids to measure the flour and add it to your mixture. Mix everything together one last time until you have a nice, smooth dough. You might need to use your hands to work it a little and bring it all together.
Form the thumprint cookies
Get your hands messy and roll the dough into small balls and place on your prepared baking tray. Ours were about a tablespoon-sized – but it doesn’t matter what size you do as long as they’re roughly consistent. I sometimes find it easiest to get the right amount of dough and then let my kids roll it into a ball, otherwise we’d be left with very unevenly sized cookies.
Get your kids to use their thumbs or the back of a small measuring spoon (¼ tsp) to make an indent in the middle of each biscuit. If you find the biscuits crack a little around the sides when you do this, simply press the edges back together again.
Bake the thumbprint cookies
Bake the biscuits in the oven for around 10-12 minutes. They’re ready when the edges start to crack and they are slightly firm to touch. They’ll also be turning a golden brown colour.
Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for a few minutes before placing them on a wire rack to cool completely. If the indents have risen, use the back of a small spoon to re-do them before they cool.
Make the chocolate filling
Measure the cocoa powder (3 tbsp) and icing sugar (1 cup) into a small bowl. Add the water and stir until it forms a nice thick chocolate filling.
Fill the chocolate thumbprint cookies
Get your kids to use a tea spoon to fill each biscuit with the chocolate filling and add a smartie/M&M or some sprinkles on top.
Leave to set, serve and enjoy!
Chocolate thumbprint cookies
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 115 g (½ cup) butter, unsalted
- 50 g (¼ cup) caster sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 185 g (1 ½ cups) plain/all-purpose flour
For the filling
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 cup icing /powdered sugar
- 2-3 tbsp hot water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/170C Fan/350F/Gas 4, and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Mix the butter and sugar together
- Measure the butter and sugar, and add to a freestanding mixer, or large mixing bowl. Using your paddle attachment or a hand held mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until they are light and fluffy.
Add the egg yolk and vanilla
- Separate the egg yolk from the white and add to your bowl. Add the vanilla extract.
- Mix everything again, until it is well combined.
Add the flour
- Measure the flour and add to your mixture. Mix everything together one last time until you have a nice, smooth dough.
Form the thumprint biscuits
- Roll the dough into small balls (about a tablespoon size) and place on your prepared baking tray.
- Use your thumbs or the back of a small measuring spoon to make an indent in the middle of each biscuit.
Bake the thumbprint biscuits
- Bake the biscuits in the oven for around 10-12 minutes. They're ready when the edges start to crack and they are slightly firm to touch.
- Remove the biscuits from the oven and allow them to cool for a few minutes before placing them on a wire rack to cool completely. If the indents have risen, use the back of a small spoon to re-do them before they cool.
Make the filling
- Measure the cocoa powder and icing sugar into a small bowl. Add the water and stir until it forms a nice thick chocolate filling.
Fill the chocolate thumbprint biscuits
- Use a tea spoon to fill each biscuit with the chocolate filling and add a smartie/M&M or some sprinkles on top.
- Leave to set and enjoy!
Notes
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Similar recipes
If you liked these chocolate thumbprint cookies, why not try our smarties cookies, Nutella stuffed cookies or check out our favourite easy baking recipes for kids.
I’ve linked this up to #CookBlogShare
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie says
Aaaah the perfect recipe for small fingers (and small mouths… oh OK and big mouths too – haha) Eb x
cookingwithmykids says
Yes, it goes down a treat with small (and big) fingers and mouths!!
Sisley White says
So fun to make and absolutely delicious. Perfect us big kids too! #cookblogshare
cookingwithmykids says
They’re definitely perfect for kids of all ages!
Beth Sachs says
I’ve made jam thumbprint cookies before but these look great. Going to make a batch at the weekend with my kids!
cookingwithmykids says
Yes, we love jam thumbprint cookies too. There are a great alternative for chocolate lovers like my youngest!
Kat (The Baking Explorer) says
Definitely bookmarking this one to make with my son when he’s old enough!
cookingwithmykids says
They’re a great bake for little kids!