Cookie Time Tuesday

It's Cookie Time Tuesday!!!  Yay

Chocolate Mint Thumbprint Cookies

Over the weekend my husband and my son both asked me to make Peanut Blossoms for Cookie Time Tuesday--the pb cookie with the kiss in the center.  I figured that wasn't very unique so I wanted to come up with a little twist on it.  I started surfing the blogs and I came across a very yummy sounding cookie recipe over on Little Wonders' Day.  I decided to do a little twist on mine because my husband isn't a big fan of mint but my son and I love it.  I did a batch for my husband out of the new Cookies and Cream Hershey Kisses.  You can find the original recipe over on Hershey's.

Overall this cookie is yummy yummy but I thought the dough was a pain to work with.  It for sure needs time in the fridge before working with it and I highly recommend spraying your hands with cooking spray so the dough doesn't stick all over your hands.  You also want to make sure they are completely done before you take them out of the oven, if they are undercooked they don't set up nicely.

I wanted my cookies to represent St. Patty's Day so I colored the sugar green and I colored the vanilla filling green as well.

You can print HERE

You will need:

1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine, softened

 2/3 cup sugar

 1 egg, separated

2 tablespoons milk

 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

 1/3 cup Hershey's Cocoa

 1/4 teaspoon salt

 1 cup chopped nuts  (I didn't use any nuts but rolled my cookies in colored sugar)

Vanilla filling (recipe follows)

26 Hershey's Kisses in flavor of your choice.

 

VANILLA FILLING: Combine 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon softened butter or margarine, 2 teaspoons milk and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract in small bowl; beat until smooth.

Beat butter, sugar, egg yolk, milk and vanilla in medium bowl until fluffy. Stir together flour, cocoa and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended.

**Refrigerate dough at least 1 hour or until firm enough to handle.

Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease cookie sheet or line with parchment paper (I used a Silpat Mat on one cookie sheet and parchment on the other). Shape dough into 1-inch balls. If you are rolling in nuts do this: With fork, beat egg white slightly. Dip each ball into egg white; roll in nuts. If you are leaving out the nuts then roll your cookie balls in sugar.  Place on prepared cookie sheet. Press thumb gently in center of each cookie.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set.

Unwrap your kisses so they are ready to be stuck in the cookie.

Remove cookies from cookie sheet to wire rack; cool 5 minutes. Spoon about 1/4 teaspoon filling into each thumbprint. Gently press chocolate piece in center of each cookie. I waited about 10 minutes before adding the vanilla filling and kiss because the cookies were just too hot and they melted the filling and kiss immediately.  Cool completely. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

 

**Note:  For the cookies I made with the Cookies and Cream kisses I left off the vanilla filling altogether.

 

Now for the fun part...Pictures!

1.  Gather your ingredients and get ready...

2.  The yummy Creme De Minthe Hershey's Kisses

3.  I used these Cookies and Creme Hershey's Kisses in some of the cookies

4.  Remove the wrappers from your kisses

5.  Mix the butter, egg yolk, sugar, milk and vanilla until fluffy

6.  Add the flour, cocoa and salt slowly to butter mixter

7.  This is the Vanilla Filling and I used green food coloring in honor of St. Patty's Day.  Mix it up well so there are not sugar lumps.

8.  Sugar for rolling your cookies in before baking.  Again, I added the green food coloring to be festive. Roll the cookies in a ball then coat in sugar. 

9.  Place on cookie sheet.  Put a thumbprint in the center of each cookie before baking. 

*You may have to push your thumb in again once they come out of the oven.

10.  Make surey ou have a nice thumbprint in the cookies.

11.  Once the cookies have cooled slightly then add the Vanilla Filling

12.  Add your kisses on top of the Vanilla Filling

13.  These are the cookies I used the Cookies and Creme kisses in so I didn't add any coloring to my sugar.

14.  Once the cookies have cooled slightly add your kisses.  I left off the Vanilla Filling on this cookie but it would be great added to it.

15.  Good enough to eat...

ENJOY!

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