Cherry Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

Inspired past times the flavors of classic chocolate covered cherries, these Cherry Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies are perfect for the vacation season.  Or for Valentine's Day.  Or ... for ANY day.  While they may non get got the oozy, gooey middle of chocolate covered cherries, they sure do  have that fabulous flavor combination of cherry together with chocolate together!
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I precisely beloved the combination of cherry together with chocolate.  Chocolate covered cherries are 1 of my favorite totally-indulgent candies to process myself alongside at Christmas time.  There's but something almost tasty chocolate, the oozy goodness of the creamy center, together with sweetness of the maraschino cherry hiding within that I precisely can't resist.

So I decided to accept inspiration from my favorite Cherry Almond Cookies and create a chocolate cookie version reminiscent of that ever-favorite classic chocolate covered cherry Christmas candy.

Now spell these Cherry Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies may non get got the oozy, gooey middle of chocolate covered cherries, they sure get got the fabulous flavor of cherry together with chocolate together! ... Accented past times a piddling drizzle of white chocolate that sure as shooting makes them super cute.

To brand a batch of these piddling chocolate beauties, gear upward a rich chocolate dough, chill it for a bit, together with therefore gyre it into pocket-size balls.  Make a pocket-size thumbprint indentation inward each ball together with laid a really well-drained maraschino cherry inward each indentation.

The cookies volition bake upward alongside the cherries all nicely surrounded past times the yummy chocolatey goodness of the cookie.

Once the cookies get got cooled, melt a distich ounces of white chocolate alongside a tiny flake of shortening.  {Shortening helps the white chocolate drizzle a piddling to a greater extent than smoothly together with readily, but if you're opposed to shortening, it tin live omitted precisely fine.}

I similar to melt my chocolate past times placing it, along alongside the shortening, inward a pocket-size zip-top baggy.  Then I house the baggy inward a loving cup of hot H2O ... really hot lead from the tap is fine ... together with allow it sit down for a few minutes, massaging the chocolate alongside my fingers every instantly together with therefore until it's melted together with smooth.

Then snip off a really pocket-size hole inward the corner of the baggy, together with drizzle the melted white chocolate over the cooled cookies.

The drizzle makes them extra cute, don't yous think?  It likewise adds that hitting of sweetness typically delivered upward past times chocolate covered cherries' oozy cream filling.

So if you're a fan of cherry together with chocolate together, whip upward a batch of these cute piddling cookies inspired past times the flavors of classic chocolate covered cherries.  They're precisely perfect for Christmas, Valentine's Day, or ANY day!

Cherry Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
Source:  chocolate dough adapted from America's Test Kitchen
(Printable recipe)

Ingredients

• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/3 c. cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 8 T. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 c. granulated carbohydrate
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 T. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 25 to xxx maraschino cherries, good drained & patted dry out alongside newspaper towels
• about 2 oz. white chocolate
• 1/2 tsp. shortening

Directions

1. Combine flour, cocoa, together with salt; laid aside.
2. With an electrical mixer on medium-high speed, crunch butter together with carbohydrate until low-cal together with fluffy, almost 2 minutes. Add egg yolk, milk, together with vanilla; mix until incorporated. Reduce mixer speed to depression together with add together the flour mixture until precisely combined.
3. Wrap dough inward plastic roll together with refrigerate until firm, 1 hour.
4. With your hands, gyre chilled dough into almost 25 or xxx 1-inch balls.  Place balls almost 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. With your thumb, gently press downwards into the middle of each ball precisely slightly to brand a pocket-size indentation.  Place a cherry inward each indentation. 
5. Chill the baking canvas of dough balls inward the fridge for 10 to fifteen minutes earlier baking. {This chilling fourth dimension makes the cookies bake upward soft together with tender, together with helps minimize spreading. I get got skipped this chill before, together with the cookies came out on the dry out side ... therefore I don't recommend skipping it.}
6. Bake at 350℉ until set, almost 12 minutes. Let cookies cool on the baking canvas for almost three minutes, take to a cooling rack to cool completely.
7. Place white chocolate together with shortening inward a pocket-size zip-top plastic bag. Set handbag inward a bowl of warm H2O to soften. {Don't allow the happen of the plastic handbag teach into the water; if H2O seeps into the bag, the white chocolate volition seize up.} Gently knead the chocolate alongside your fingers until melted together with smooth, placing dorsum inward the warm H2O for a infinitesimal or 2 every bit needed.
8. Snip a really pocket-size hole inward the corner of the plastic bag. Drizzle white chocolate over the cooled cookies. Let stand upward until white chocolate is set.
9. Store inward an airtight container for upward to a week.

Makes some 25 to xxx cookies.

Notes;
- There is indeed no levener inward this recipe; that is non a typo.
- These cookies don't spread or alter sort much spell baking.  They precisely puff really slightly.

Enjoy!

Please relish these other tasty cookie recipes from ...

Cherry Almond Cookies

Insanely Delicious Turtle Cookies

Pound Cake Cookies

Christmas Chocolate Kiss Cookies

Grandma's Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies

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