Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies

The other day I told you I made two kinds of chocolate peppermint cookies at our baking party.

The first was the Chocolate Peppermint Crunch cookies.

The second were these Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprint cookies from Martha Stewart.

I saw her make them on the Today show last week and immediately looked up the recipe.

They remind me a lot of my favorite peanut butter blossom cookies,

you know, the ones with the Hershey Kiss in the middle.

But these are kind of better, in a way.

Instead of a hard Kiss in the middle, these have a soft chocolate peppermint filling,

making them much easier to gobble up in one bit, if you're so inclined.

The baking method is very similar to the Peppermint Crunch cookies,

with the rolling into balls, dipping in sugar, and divided baking time.

And obviously the tastes are pretty close too - Chocolate Peppermint.

But these look a bit more elegant with the sparkly sugar coating.

You really can't go wrong with either cookie

so maybe you should make both like I did!

Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies

from Martha Stewart and the Today Show

2 cups all purpose flour

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, room temp

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 teaspoon pure peppermint extract

1.  Place racks in upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350.

2.  Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

3.  In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to mix 1 cup each of butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add egg and vanilla; beat to combine.  With mixer on low, gradually  add flour mixture and mix until combined.

4.  Put 1/2 cup sugar in a small bowl.  Roll dough into 1 inch balls, then roll in the sugar to coat.  Place balls 1 inch apart on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment or a Silpat.

5.  Bake for 5 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Use the back of a round teaspoon to make an indentation in the center of each cookie.  Return to oven, rotating the position of the sheets, and bake about 4 more minutes.  Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

6.  In a small bowl, microwave the chocolate and 1/4 cup butter in 10-second increments until melted, stirring between each increment.  Stir in the peppermint extract.  Cool a few minutes, then put into a small ziploc baggie.  Snip off one corner and pipe chocolate into cookie indentations.   Cookies will store well in an airtight container for 1 week.

Enjoy!