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These Chocolate Mint Cookies are one of my favorite holiday treats! Each bite gives a chewy, fudgy texture with a cool and creamy creme de menthe ganache that melts in your mouth. I absolutely love adding these chocolate mint thumbprint cookies to my Holiday dessert platter—always a crowd-pleaser!
Mint Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies Recipe
Chocolate and mint together is my favorite combo. I’ve always loved Andes chocolate mints, and these thumbprint cookies taste just like them! I bake these cookies with mint chips and finish them off with an amazing Creme de Menthe ganache to fill in the middle. They are the perfect flavor for Christmas!
Chocolate Mint Thumbprint Cookies
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- Hand Mixer
- 2 Baking Sheet
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 1 cup all-purpose flour 120 grams
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 28 grams
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter 113 grams, room temperature (1 stick)
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar 133 grams
- 1 egg yolk 14 grams, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons whole milk 28 grams, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 4 grams
- 10 ounces Crème de Menthe baking chips 283 grams, finely chopped (1 package)
For the Créme de Menthe Ganache
- 1 cup finely chopped white chocolate 170 grams (SEE NOTE)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 14 grams, chopped
- ¼ cup heavy cream 57 grams
- 1 tablespoon Créme de Menthe liqueur 12 grams (or ¼ teaspoon Crème de Menthe candy & baking flavoring)
Instructions
To make thumbprint cookies.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, and salt. Set aside.1 cup all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- In another mixing bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar at medium-high speed until lighter in color and fluffy for about 2 minutes.8 tablespoons unsalted butter, ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- Add the egg yolk, milk, and vanilla and continue beating at medium-high speed until fully incorporated.Note: Egg and milk should be at room temperature.1 egg yolk, 2 tablespoons whole milk, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Set speed to low, add the flour mixture all-at-once, and stir just until no flour is visible.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator until firm, for about 1 hour. Note: Chilling the cookie dough before baking is essential. It helps the cookies hold their shape and prevents excessive spreading.
- While the cookie dough rests, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, set oven rack to middle position, and preheat oven to 350°F.
- When the dough is ready, form it into ¾-inch balls.
- Firmly roll each ball in the finely chopped Crème de Menthe chips, and place the balls, 2-inches apart, on the parchment-lined baking sheets. Press an indentation in the middle of each ball (about ¾ way through the ball) with the greased rounded end of a wooden spoon handle or ½-teaspoon measure.10 ounces Crème de Menthe baking chips
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until set.
- Remove cookies/tray from the oven and allow to cool for 1 minute. (If needed, carefully reshape the indentation on each cookie.)
- After 1-minute, transfer the cookies to the cooling rack to cool completely before filling.
To make the ganache
- While the cookies cool, make the ganache.
- Place the white chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Set aside.1 cup finely chopped white chocolate, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Pour the cream in a different microwave-safe bowl and heat to a simmer on stovetop (or just until a few bubbles are visible).¼ cup heavy cream
- Carefully pour the hot cream over the white chocolate/butter mixture, stir then leave it alone for 2 minutes.
- After the chocolate has set for 2 minutes, stir until smooth.
- If the white chocolate and butter don’t fully melt, place ½ of the mixture in a clean microwave-safe bowl and heat for 10-30 seconds (stirring every 10 seconds) until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Note: Be careful the chocolate doesn’t get too hot – white chocolate is sensitive and can seize up if it gets overheated.
- Add the hot mixture to the cooler mixture and stir until smooth.
- Add the Crème de Menthe or flavoring and mix until smooth.1 tablespoon Créme de Menthe liqueur
Fill in the ganache
- Once cookies have completely cooled, fill each with ½ teaspoon of Crème de Menthe Ganache. The ganache should be soft. If necessary, reheat it in the microwave just until it has softened.
Becky’s Tips
- NOTE: White chocolate will seize (harden) if any water is introduced to the mix or if the chocolate gets too hot.
- Be sure to use the best quality white chocolate available for the ganache, NOT baking chips.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
How to Store
Store chocolate mint thumbprint cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
If you know you’re going to be freezing them for later rather than eating them right away, freeze the cookies without the ganache. You can then make the fresh ganache and fill them when serving. However, if you just want to store the leftover cookies, they are fine to freeze as is.
Serving Suggestion
These minty chocolate cookies makes a fantastic dessert throughout the year. During the holidays I often pair them with my Crockpot Hot Chocolate.
These look yummy. I have a couple of questions.
It calls for unsweetened cocoa powder. Is that the same as cocoa?
Also what is your technique to fill the thumbprints with the ganache?
These cookies look like these have nuts in them. The creme de menthe does not melt when baked? Looks good!
The mint chips don’t fully melt. The cookies don’t have nuts, those are just the mint chips. You can melt them down fully, but when baking they hold their shape similar to the way chocolate chips do. Hope that makes sense!
Thank you. Sometimes I can’t play/watch you make the recipes. Do you know what I might be doing wrong? I click on it and it just keeps spinning.
That’s so odd…I’m not sure! I’ll ask my tech person what he thinks. Thanks for letting me know.