These cookies use nothing but 5 healthy ingredients + chocolate. Three of my favorite ingredients as of late: Coconut oil and almond butter add richness and a nutty sweetness, maple syrup adds that little bit of sweet punch without resorting to refined sugars.
The batter comes together so easily, no mixers or chilling required, just your spatula! Start by whisking together your flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Melt coconut oil and blend with almond butter, maple syrup, peppermint extract. Combine with the dry ingredients until a cookie dough forms. Done!
You will form balls of dough between your palms, flatten gently on the cookie sheet, make an indent using your thumb (or the back of a wooden spoon) and bake for only 8-10 minutes. We want the centers of these cookies to be still a bit fudgy and soft!
Once the cookies completely cool, you’ll fill their centers with your easy chocolate filling made of simply chocolate (vegan if desired) and more peppermint extract. Crushed candy cane is totally optional but it adds a nice festive touch!
Refrigerating the cookies let the chocolate center set so that the cookies are portable. Ready to be stacked and taken to that holiday party.
They will be a total crowd pleaser, I guarantee it!
Small-batch Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie dough
- 3 tbsp maple syrup (63 g)
- 2 tbsp nut/seed butter (32 g) I used almond butter
- 1 tbsp coconut oil (14 g) sub other oil or nut/seed butter
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder (12 g)
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp (optional) drop of peppermint extract
- 1/2 cup flour, gf all purpose if desired (60 g)
Chocolate filling
- 2 tbsp chocolate chips (28 g)
- (optional) drop of peppermint extract
- (optional) crushed candy cane
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a cookie sheet with parchment.
- In a medium bowl gently melt coconut oil and blend with syrup, nut butter, vanilla. Stir in cocoa powder, baking soda, salt until smooth.
- Add flour gradually and fold until a soft cookie dough forms. if it gets too dry and crumbly add a tsp water, if too wet add a pinch more flour.
- Using your palms make balls of dough and flatten gently on the cookie sheet. Using your thumb or the back of a wooden spoon make a dent in the middle of each cookie.
- Bake for 8 minutes, remove from the oven and push down the thumbprints of the cookies again if necessary (don't burn your finger!).
- Let cookies cool and firm up on the cookie sheet.
- While the cookies are cooling, prepare the filling by melting chocolate (I use the microwave in 30 sec increments and stirring in between). Add peppermint extract to taste.
- Fill the center of each cookie with about 1 tsp ganache and sprinkle with (optional) crushed candy cane. Let the ganache set (refrigerating makes this easy). Enjoy!!
Notes
- Store cookies in a slightly open container in room temperature to keep their crisp. You can refrigerate them for maximum freshness and if they harden too much (because of the coconut oil) bring them to room temperature before eating.