Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

These Chocolate Ganache Thumbprint Cookies are two thumbs way up! Ring in the new year with chewy, chocolatey cookies filled with a rich chocolate ganache center.

New(ish) year, new ways to lolligag!

While most folks spend January and February discovering hot yoga or organic wheatgrass protein shakes, our family is usually busy finding new ways to lolligag. Over the holidays, this household becomes the shampoo commercial equivalent of lazing around: Wake, eat, nap, annnnd…repeat.

We’ve become the champions of chilling, the pros of procrastinating, the experts of ineffectualness. Heck, I think we might even have earned ourselves a visit to Dante’s Inferno with the tremendous amount of sloth we’ve exhibited over the past four weeks. The path to hell is paved with good intentions…and maybe one too many Netflix binges?

Even so, all the time we’ve spent fusing into our couches has been a welcome change of pace from 2025, which was filled with enough distraction to make a crow crazy. Between completing a Sierra Club wilderness survival course, joining two choirs, co-captaining our triathlon team, performing at Disneyland (a lifetime achievement!), planning not one but three wedding shindigs, and GETTING MARRIED TO WALLFLOUR BOY (what?!?), 2025 had a lot going for it.

So yeah, I’m sticking my head back up above water to say….man, that was awesome. And yes, I’m ready for this break. Hellooo, February 2026!

The great news about this newfound down time is that I’ve rediscovered baking & sweet treats for the first time in many, many moons. (Yes, apparently the looming threat of not fitting into a too-snug wedding dress on the big day IS real!) To celebrate, I’ve been knocking out some crowd-favorite comfort goodies like these Saltine Toffee Cookies and Cookie Butter Avalanche Bars for our family gatherings–but I’ve also begun experimenting in the kitchen again, which is equally exciting. 

First out of the gate were these incredible Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies. They’re simple enough for any sloth to make and yet rewarding enough to satisfy every devotee of the “Eat, nap, repeat” mantra. I only slightly adapted the chewy, soft chocolate cookie base from this amazing In Bloom Bakery recipe with a classically fudge ganache poured into the center for the perfect duo. 

Whether you’re starting the new year with great goals or humble baking aspirations, these cookies fit the bill. Give them a whirl–and happy new(ish) year to you all, dear readers!

Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

Yield: 24-30 cookies

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

These Chocolate Ganache Thumbprint Cookies are two thumbs way up! Ring in the new year with chewy, chocolatey cookies filled with a rich chocolate ganache center. Recipe slightly adapted from In Bloom Bakery.

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Ingredients

For the cookies:

• 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 egg yolks, room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

For the chocolate ganache:

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions

To prepare cookies:

1. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and both sugars until fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla extract.
3. In a separate bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder. Pour into wet ingredients bowl and gently fold until just combined.
4. Scoop dough into 1-inch balls and use your thumb or a round teaspoon to create an indent in each ball. Place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
5. Chill for at least an hour, or until ready to bake.

To prepare ganache:

1. Place chocolate chips in a medium bowl.
2. Heat heavy cream in a saucepan over low heat until it just begins to simmer. Remove from heat and pour into bowl with chocolate chips.
3. Stir vigorously until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Allow to cool.

To bake and assemble cookies:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Bake cookies in preheated oven for 9-11 minutes, until edges just begin to set. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on baking pan.
3. Once cookies have cooled, pour 1 teaspoon of chocolate ganache into each cookie indent (or as much as the indent will allow without overflowing!). Allow cookies to cool for an additional 20-30 minutes, until ganache has set completely.
4. Enjoy!