Chocolate Kiss Thumbprint

These double-chocolate thumbprint cookies start with melted unsweetened chocolate worked right into the butter-sugar dough, giving them a deep cocoa flavor before the Hershey’s Kiss even enters the picture. Each ball gets dipped in egg white, rolled in chopped nuts for a crunchy shell, then baked just 7 minutes before you press a Kiss into the warm center.

That short bake time is intentional. Seven minutes sets the outside while keeping the dough soft enough to accept the Kiss without cracking. The extra minute back in the oven melts the base of the Kiss just enough to fuse it to the cookie.

Use your thumb (or the back of a rounded teaspoon) to make the indent before baking. Press firmly enough to create a well, but not so deep you go through the bottom.

Kitchen Tips

• Melt and cool the chocolate completely before mixing; hot chocolate will melt the butter and change the dough texture
• Chill the dough 15 minutes if it’s too soft to roll into neat balls
• Unwrap all 30 Kisses before you start baking so you can press them in the second the cookies come out
• The cookies will look slightly underdone at 7 minutes. That’s correct. They firm up on the cooling rack

Variations

• Peanut butter Kiss: Skip the melted chocolate in the dough, add ½ cup peanut butter for a peanut blossom crossover
• White chocolate version: Use white chocolate chips pressed into the center instead of milk chocolate Kisses
• Pecan or walnut: Pecans give a buttery crunch, walnuts add a slightly bitter edge that pairs well with the dark dough