Peppermint Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
Published Date: December 13, 2023
These Peppermint Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies are a fun holiday treat made with refrigerated cookie dough, cocoa powder, cream cheese, and peppermint Hershey’s Kisses!
There’s no doubt that chocolate and peppermint are a classic dessert combination during the holidays and wintertime, and I especially love baking these with my family every year.
Peppermint Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies are a holiday twist on a classic cookie that are perfect for holiday baking and cookie exchanges! Make them, eat them, and share them! For more holiday treat ideas, try my Snowman Bark or my Nutter Butter Reindeer Cupcakes!
All About These Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies
Taste: These cookies are a perfect balance of chocolate and peppermint, starting with a decadent chocolate sugar cookie base that is rolled around in sugar before being baked! Once they leave the oven, a peppermint Hershey’s kiss is pressed onto the top to complete this wonderful flavor pairing!
Texture: Not only are these cookies soft and chewy, they’re also topped with that Hershey’s kiss that you can enjoy in two different ways! I love to eat these cookies when they’re still fresh from the oven and the chocolate is gooey and melty on top, but they’re still phenomenal when the Hershey’s Kiss is room temperature and solid! You truly can’t go wrong with how you eat them!
Ingredients For Peppermint Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
- Refrigerated Sugar Cookie Dough– This cookie starts with premade sugar cookie dough, making it even easier to bake these treats!
- Cream cheese- Cream cheese is the secret ingredient to our moist and chewy cookies, and it’s mixed right into the dough.
- Cocoa powder- This is how we transform our plain sugar cookie dough into that sweet, irresistible chocolate flavor.
- Sugar- The cookies will roll in sugar before being baked to give that sugary coating we all know and love!
- Hershey’s peppermint kisses– The topping to our cookies! Once the cookies are out of the oven, each one will be topped with a festive and tasty peppermint chocolate to bring the whole cookie together!
How To Make Peppermint Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
Step One- Preheat the oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine cookie dough, cream cheese, and cocoa powder.
Step Two- Portion out your dough and roll the dough in your hand to create a ball. Roll each ball in the granulated sugar, then place them on your baking sheet and into the oven.
Step Three- Remove the cookies from the oven. While they are still hot, place an unwrapped kiss in the center of each cookie. Allow to cool on a wire rack before enjoying!
Storage Tips
These cookies will stay good for up to 2 days in an airtight container at room temperature. After that, while they remain soft, they are more crumbly than chewy.
What If I Can’t Find Peppermint Hershey Kisses?
No worries! You can use plain chocolate Hershey Kisses, or any other fun flavor you can find in stores. You can change the flavor for other holidays as well! This recipe is so universal!
Can I Freeze Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies?
Yes! You can freeze these before or after baking. If you freeze them before baking, prepare them up to step 3 in the recipe. After rolling them out, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet in the freezer until they are frozen solid. After frozen, they can be placed in an air-tight container and remain in the freezer. When ready to bake, allow them to thaw at room temperature. Once the cookies are fully thawed, you may resume the recipe at step 4.
If you freeze the cookies after baking, you’ll want them to cool to room temperature after taking them out of the oven. Place them in an air-tight container in the freezer, then allow time for thawing before enjoying.
Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies
INGREDIENTS
- 16 ounce package refrigerated sugar cookie dough
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- â…“ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup granulated sugar optional coating
- 24 Hershey’s peppermint kisses
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the cookie dough, cream cheese, and cocoa powder until fully combined, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to portion out the dough and lightly roll it into balls with your hands.
- Roll the dough balls in granulated sugar and place cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are set.
- Remove from the oven and gently press an unwrapped kiss into the center of each cookie. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Let the candies soften for about 2 minutes and use a toothpick to swirl the candy or leave as is and allow them to cool.
