Halloween Thumbprint Cookies
Submitted by annmarie1934
Chocolate thumbprint cookies filled with orange-tinted icing and a tiny green stem, shaped to look like miniature pumpkins. A festive Halloween cookie recipe the whole family can decorate together.
YIELD
2 dozenPREP
2 hrsCOOK
12 minREADY
2 hrsRich, cocoa-laced thumbprint cookies get a Halloween makeover with bright orange filling piped into each little well, topped with a green icing stem that turns every cookie into a tiny pumpkin.
The chocolate dough is buttery and soft, with a deep cocoa flavor that pairs surprisingly well with the citrusy orange zest in the filling. After a quick chill in the fridge, the dough firms up enough to roll into smooth balls that hold their thumbprint shape in the oven.
The filling comes together in minutes: powdered sugar, butter, milk, and a touch of freshly grated orange peel. A tiny portion gets tinted green for the stems, and the rest goes bright orange with food coloring.
Pro Tips
- If the dough sticks to your thumb, dip it in sugar before pressing each indent.
- Chill the dough a full 2 hours for the easiest handling. Rushing this step leads to sticky, frustrating dough.
- Pipe the green stems while the orange filling is still slightly wet so the colors bond together seamlessly.
- Use a small round piping tip for the orange filling and a leaf tip for the stems if you want extra detail.
Variations
- Ghost Cookies: Skip the food coloring and orange zest entirely, then pipe white icing faces with tiny dot eyes.
- Jack-o-Lantern Style: Use a toothpick to draw tiny triangle eyes and a jagged mouth in the orange filling before it sets.
- Peanut Butter Filling: Swap the buttercream for a peanut butter and powdered sugar blend, then tint it orange.
Ingredients
Directions
In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, eggs, milk and vanilla until well blended.
Stir together flour, cocoa and salt; add to butter mix, mixing until Refrigerate dough 1 to 2 hours or until firm enough to handle. Heat oven to 350℉ (180℃). Lightly grease cookie sheets. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place on cookie sheets. Press thumb gently in center of each cookies. (You may need to coat finger with sugar for indentation to remain). Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until set. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheets to wire rack. Cool completely. Spoon about ¼ teaspoon orange filling in each thumbprint. Decorate with green filling to look like stem of a pumpkin. Orand and Green Filling: In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, softened butter, milk and vanilla. Beat on high until smooth. Remove scant 2 TB of filling. Tint this with green food color; set aside. Add freshly grated orange peel to remaining icing and use red and yellow food coloring to make orange. GHOST COOKIES: Make icing and omit food coloring and orange peel. Decorate cookies to look like ghosts.
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