Description
Delight in these rich and irresistible Peanut Butter Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies, featuring a tender cocoa-infused dough rolled in crunchy chopped peanuts and filled with luscious peanut butter, then drizzled with smooth melted chocolate for the perfect sweet and salty treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup All-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Unsalted butter, softened
- 2/3 cup Sugar
- 1 Egg (separated, save the egg white)
- 2 Tablespoons Milk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Coating & Filling
- 1 cup Peanuts, finely chopped
- 1 cup Peanut Butter
- 1/4 cup Powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, and salt until well combined to prepare the dry mix.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened unsalted butter and sugar together until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, providing a creamy base for the dough.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Add the egg yolk, milk, and vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Continue mixing until the egg yolk is thoroughly incorporated, ensuring a smooth batter.
- Combine Dry and Wet Mixtures: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, half a cup at a time, and mix until the dough comes together, forming a cohesive, slightly firm dough.
- Chill Dough: Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to firm up the dough, making it easier to handle for shaping.
- Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius) and allow it to fully preheat.
- Form Dough Balls: Remove chilled dough and roll into 1-inch balls, using roughly 1½ tablespoons of dough for each ball to ensure uniform cookie sizes.
- Coat with Egg White and Peanuts: Dip the bottom half of each dough ball into the reserved egg white, then roll it gently in the chopped peanuts, pressing the nuts into the dough to adhere nicely.
- Create Thumbprints: Use the back of a teaspoon to press a deep indentation into the center of each dough ball, preparing a space for the filling.
- Bake Cookies: Place cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until set but still soft.
- Deepen Indentations: Immediately after removing from the oven, press the back of the teaspoon again to deepen the indents if needed for better filling space.
- Cool Cookies: Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely, preventing sogginess.
- Prepare Peanut Butter Filling: In a microwave-safe bowl, combine peanut butter and powdered sugar, mixing until smooth and consistent.
- Warm Peanut Butter: Heat the peanut butter mixture in the microwave in 15-second intervals, stirring between each, until pourable, typically around 30 seconds total.
- Fill Cookies: Using a ½ teaspoon, spoon the peanut butter filling into the thumbprint cavity of each cooled cookie, alternating flavors if desired.
- Melt Chocolate: Place chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in short 5-second bursts, stirring often until the chips are fully melted and smooth.
- Drizzle Chocolate: Spoon and drizzle the melted chocolate over the filled cookies for a beautiful finishing touch.
- Set Cookies: Let the cookies sit at room temperature until the peanut butter filling and chocolate drizzle have firmed up, ensuring clean, neat cookies ready to serve.
Notes
- Using the egg white to help peanuts stick creates a crunchy texture on the outside of the cookies.
- Chilling the dough is essential for maintaining the shape and ease of rolling.
- Alternate fillings by adding a splash of honey or a pinch of cinnamon to the peanut butter for variety.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- For thicker cookies, slightly increase the baking time but watch carefully to avoid overbaking.
