Add some holiday flavor and color to your cookie tray with Mint Chocolate Chip Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies!
Shortbread is my favorite kind of cookie. That’s no secret to long-time blog readers, I’m sure. The formula is so simple and the end result so delicate and buttery, I’m always dreaming up new ways to flavor and shape the dough. This year for a Christmas cookie offering, I decided to make them into thumbprint cookies! These Mint Chocolate Chip Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies are fun and festive with bright color and zingy mint flavor. Mint chocolate chip ice cream lovers will want to make these.
Cream the butter.
Cream one cup of butter with 1/2 cup of confectioners’ sugar until smooth. A hand mixer will work just fine for this task. The ratio of sugar makes the shortbread lightly sweet so the mint and chocolate flavors shine through.
Color and flavor.
Frontier Co-op Organic Mint Extract is what I keep in my pantry to make minty treats. It’s not overpowering if used in moderation. Add 1/2 teaspoon of the extract, along with a little green food color to the creamed mixture. I used a pastel green gel food color, but it ended up being bolder than I expected – but I like it! A few drops of liquid green food color would work just fine also.
Add in the flour and mini chocolate chips. Mix until just combined. Don’t be tempted to overmix here, tender shortbread depends on not developing the flour’s gluten.
Scoop and shape.
Portion the dough out onto parchment-lined baking sheets using a cookie scoop (or a slightly heaped tablespoon). After scooping, make a well, or a thumbprint, in each dough ball. I use the back of a 1/2 teaspoon measure.
Bake the cookies for about 12 minutes, then reshape the ‘thumbprint’ after baking. The cookies will puff up a little under the heat, and the well becomes shallow. Just press the 1/2 teaspoon measure into the divots to make them slightly deeper.
Fill and drizzle.
After the cookies cool, fill the wells with rich chocolate ganache, then drizzle the tops with leftover ganache.
These cookies lively little minty bites. They remind me of an Andes mint in cookie form!
This blog post is sponsored by Go Bold With Butter. View more butter recipes at this link.
Related recipe: Peppermint Snowball Cookies
Mint Chocolate Chip Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies
Equipment
- 1 disposable piping bag or zip top storage bag
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon mint extract
- Green food color
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
Ganache Filling
- 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Beat the butter and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until smooth and creamy.
- Add mint extract and green food color; mix to combine.
- Next, add flour and mini chips; mix until just combined (avoid overmixing).
- Remove dough from the bowl; shape into 1-inch balls. You can also use a 4- teaspoon capacity cookie scoop. Roll the balls between your palms, and then place 1/2 inch apart on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
- Create a well in each dough ball with your thumb or by using the rounded back of a 1/2 teaspoon measure. Chill dough for 15 minutes.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Once baked, reshape the wells with the handle of a wooden spoon or the 1/2 teaspoon measure. Let cool on the baking sheets.
- Move cooled cookies to a parchment paper-covered work surface.
Ganache Filling
- Heat semisweet chips and heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl for 1 minute at 100% power. Allow the mixture to stand 1 minute. Whisk until you have a silky, shiny ganache.
- Transfer the ganache to a disposable piping bag or a zip-top bag with the corner snipped. Fill each cookie well with the ganache. Use any leftover ganache to drizzle over the cookies.
- Let stand until cookies are completely set, about 1 hour.
- Enjoy right away! Or store the cookies an airtight container with layers between pieces of waxed paper.
I’m definitely going to make these this week! Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to you! Hope you enjoy! <3