Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

These are the kind of cookies people remember from old Hershey’s recipe pamphlets. The cocoa dough chills first, which lets the butter firm up enough to roll into clean little balls without sticking to your palms. A dip in beaten egg white before the chopped nut roll is the trick that makes those nuts actually stick instead of shedding all over the platter once the cookies cool. Then comes the thumbprint, pressed deep into a chewy chocolate base.

Vanilla filling goes into the warm well after baking, just enough to cradle a chocolate kiss. The contrast of dark cocoa, sweet vanilla cream, and milk chocolate hits three different notes in one bite. They look bakery fancy on a holiday cookie platter without any of the fuss.

Pro Tips

• Refrigerate the dough at least an hour. Warm dough cracks when you press the thumbprint and the nuts will not stick evenly.
• Re-press the thumbprint gently as soon as the cookies come out of the oven if any wells puffed shut during baking. The cookies are still soft enough to reshape.
• Let the cookies cool five minutes before spooning in the vanilla filling so it sits in the well instead of melting and running.
• Unwrap the chocolate kisses while the cookies bake. Save yourself a frantic last-minute scramble.

Variations

• Roll the dough balls in chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds for different flavors.
• Swap the kiss for a peanut butter cup or a chocolate truffle.
• Use dutch-process cocoa for a darker, more intense chocolate cookie.