Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
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These Swedish Bird’s Nest cookies or chocolate thumbprint cookies are fun to make with kids around the holidays! Making a thumbprint to fill with icing, a kiss or jam is a fun holiday recipe.
Swedish Bird’s Nest Cookies
We are a family of chocolate lovers! Whether it’s making Chocolate Syrup Brownies, 5 Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars, Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies, or our famous Chocolate Cake we love chocolate desserts! As we looked through a homemade cookbook from a church friend we realized we’ve never made Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies.
Also called Hallongrotta (means raspberry cave in Swedish), Bird’s Nest Cookies, Butterballs or Polish Tea Cakes making these cookies has long been a Christmas tradition in many places around the world.
Use your thumb or a measuring spoon to make a well in chocolate cookies to fill with your favorite flavor of icing. These are the steps that our kids enjoy most!
This same friend also shared recipes for Chocolate Hermits, Chocolate Pixies and Crock Pot Peanut Clusters. We actually like to have a baking day and Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies along with hermits and use the same homemade icing or pop open a can of store-bought icing.
Shaping Thumbprint Cookies
The first time we made this recipe we tried using our thumbs to make a thumbprint as the recipe title implies. As the cookies bake and rise there’s a good chance the thumbprint will bake out.
So we did some research and saw that some recipes suggest taking the cookies out of the oven partway through baking to make the thumbprint deeper. This sounds like a great way to burn your finger, so we did some testing to find a safer way.
Using a teaspoon measuring cup and pressing it almost to the bottom of the ball of dough makes a very noticeable well that will soften during baking. Once baked there will still be a nice indent to fill with your favorite flavor.
We found that using a 1 1/2″ cookie scoop which is 1.2 tablespoons to form balls of dough on the cookie sheet. We love our OXO baking sheet and Silpat non-stick baking mat. These tools make baking cookies much easier and less stressful, so we made the investment!
Filling Thumbprint Cookies
We love the opportunity to be creative with these cookies! Fill the imprint made by your thumb or other kitchen utensil and fill it with the icing recipe that we’ve shared below. Sometimes when we run out of icing we use a can of store bought icing.
The filling options are truly endless, chocolate icing, caramel icing, cream cheese icing like we use in our Frosted Banana Bars recipe, peanut butter or a sweet peanut butter icing could be used.
Pieces of a crushed up candy cane could be sprinkled on top of the icing to give the cookies a Christmas peppermint flavor.
Cherry pie filling or raspberry jam could be added to the well for a sweet surprise.
Hershey kisses are a popular filling. I want to try making these Chocolate thumbprint cookies and putting a hug or peppermint kiss in the middle a couple minutes after the cookies have come out of the oven.
Left to their own devices my kids would just fill the center with any random candy that we have on hand or cover the fresh icing in sprinkles.
Easy Way to Ice Christmas Cookies
When filling with icing we use a plastic baggie to pipe icing on thumbprint cookies. Place the bag in your hand with a corner pointing out the bottom. Place tablespoons full of icing as far down in the bottom corner as possible.
My son likes to work with about two tablespoons of icing at a time and then refill. I like to use about 3 tablespoons of icing in each bag. Start small because you can always add more, but taking icing out is more difficult.
Wait until the bag has some icing in it to cut the corner off the bag. Again, start with a small cut, do a test squeeze and cut a little bigger if needed.
More milk can be added to icing to make it softer and more liquid. Confectioners’ sugar can be added to stiffen up the icing. The texture really is a personal preference. We wanted icing that was stiff enough to set up in the middle of the cookies, but still soft enough to be easy to squeeze out of the bag.
How to Make Easy Thumbprint Cookies
- Cream butter, sugar, egg yolk, milk and vanilla in a mixing bowl.
- Combine flour, cocoa and salt. Blend into creamed mixture.
- Chill dour for an hour so that it becomes firm and easier to handle.
- Prepare vanilla filling or filling of your choice.
- Lightly grease baking sheet OR use a non-stick baking mat and place balls of dough on sheet.
- Use a teaspoon or your thumb to make an aggressive indent in the center of each cookie.
- Bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes or until set.
- Remove from cookie sheet and place on a baking rack to cool and then ice.
Optional – dip balls of dough in egg whites, then roll in 1 cup of crushed walnuts or pecans
Other Easy Holiday Treat Ideas:
- Christmas Chex Mix
- Almond Bark Specials
- Best Sour Cream Cookies
- Cinnamon Cream Cheese Bars
- Triple Chocolate Fudge Cookies
Printable Chocolate Thumbprint Cookie Recipe
Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
Author: JenniferIngredients
Cookies
- 1 cup butter
- 1 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 4 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups flour
- 2/3 cup cocoa
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Vanilla Filling
- 2 cups confectioners sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 5 teaspoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Cream butter, sugar, egg yolk, milk and vanilla in a small mixing bowl.
- Combine flour, cocoa and salt. Blend into creamed mixture.
- Chill dour for an hour or firm enough to handle.
- Prepare vanilla filling or filling of your choice.
- Lightly grease baking sheet OR use a non-stick baking mat and place balls of dough on sheet.
- Use a teaspoon or your thumb to make an aggressive indent in the center of each cookie.
- Bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes or until set.
- Remove from cookie sheet and place on a baking rack to cool and then ice.