![Southern Living Chocolate Thumbprints baked on a plate to serve.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.southernliving.com/thmb/TL3mM-jUtYZ95X_WmG3S27YJJQ0=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/27429_Christmas-Cookies_040-96939118f7c847fc9ff62943894a6b69.jpg)
Greg Dupree; Prop Stylist: Ginny Branch; Food Stylist: Emily Neighbors Hall
Crisp and crumbly on the edges, moist and fudgy in the center, these chocolate thumbprints boast a wonderful mixture of textures. The bold, chocolatey dough is beautifully contrasted by the silky, sweet vanilla cookie glaze dyed in festive colors to match the holiday sprinkles. If you prefer frosting to glaze, pipe red, green, or white Vanilla Buttercream into the indentations instead.
These cookies are a perfect addition to any holiday cookie plate—they’re festive yet super easy to make. You can also easily switch the sprinkles and food coloring to another colorful mix to make them year-round for birthdays, baby showers, and more.
One piece of advice from the Test Kitchen: Cracks are all part of the rustic charm of these cookies; try to smooth them out before baking. There’s still a chance the cookies may crack a bit around the edges while in the oven, but that’s okay. They’ll still taste and look great.
Ingredients
Chocolate Dough:
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1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
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6 Tbsp. granulated sugar
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1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
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1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
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2 tsp. heavy whipping cream
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1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
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3 Tbsp. Dutch process cocoa
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3/4 tsp. baking powder
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1/2 tsp. instant espresso granules (such as DeLallo)
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1/4 tsp. kosher salt
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1/2 cup holiday sprinkles
Cookie Glaze:
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3 cups powdered sugar
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3 Tbsp. light corn syrup
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1 tsp. vanilla extract (clear, if possible)
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1/4 tsp. kosher salt
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3-4 Tbsp. whole milk, divided
Directions
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Preheat oven to 350°F.
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Prepare Chocolate Dough:
Beat butter and sugar with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Add egg yolk, vanilla, and cream; beat on medium speed until combined, about 15 seconds.
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Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, espresso granules, and salt in a medium bowl until well combined.
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With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating until combined, 30 seconds to 1 minute, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Use dough immediately, or wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Let dough stand at room temperature until softened before using, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
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Place sprinkles in a small bowl. Scoop and roll dough into 1-tablespoon balls; roll in sprinkles until evenly covered, and place about 3/4 inch apart on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Make an indentation in center of each ball using back of a 1/2-teaspoon scoop. Smooth any cracks in edges.
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Bake in preheated oven until tops appear dry, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and gently press down centers with 1/2-teaspoon scoop. Let cool completely on baking sheet on a wire rack, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
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Prepare Cookie Glaze:
Stir together powdered sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, salt, and 3 tablespoons of the milk in a medium bowl until combined. Stir in up to remaining 1 tablespoon milk, 1/2 to 1 teaspoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
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Divide 1/2 cup Cookie Glaze evenly among 3 small bowls; stir red and green food coloring gels separately into 2 of the bowls, adding more to reach desired shades. Leave third bowl plain.
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Spoon or pipe glazes into indentations in centers of cooled thumbprints as desired. Let stand until mostly set before serving, 1 to 2 hours. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.