This is the recipe for my most favorite Christmas Cookie ever… and it’s also my submission for the Virtual Cookie Exchange that we are sponsoring along with the Susanne from the Hillbilly Housewife site.

And I must say that I am sorry not to have a picture of my favorite cookies.  I made them on a busy day and snapped a few pictures.  If I posted my terrible pics you would never make these cookies as the pictures make them look like chocolate blobs…which they are so very NOT like.  They are delicious in every way and are a colorful addition to a Christmas Cookie tray.

So here is my submission for the Virtual Cookie Exchange…

Chocolate Thumbprints

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Cookie Ingredients

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

1 egg

2 1/2 cups flour

Filling Ingredients

1/4 cup butter

2 cups confectioner’s sugar

1 to 2 Tbsp. milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2-3 drops red food coloring

1/2 cup crushed peppermint hard candies

For the cookies:

Melt the chocolate and cool.  Cream butter and sugar.  Add vanilla, slat, melted chocolate and egg and mix.  Add flour and mix well.  Cover dough and chill at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 375degrees.  Roll chilled dough into 1″ balls.  Using your thumb, press an indentation into the top.  Bake 8-10 minutes, or just until edges are set.  Cool on a rack.

Note: If the indentation comes out during baking, push it back in while cookies are still warm.

For the filling:

Cream butter and sugar.  Add the milk, vanilla and food coloring.  Mix well.  Fill the indentation of each cookie with 1/2 tsp. of filling and sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies.

Notes:

If you really want a true red in the icing, stop at the local cake decorator’s supply store and buy the food coloring there.  It is much more concentrated.

The peppermint really makes this cookie.  If you want to make these cookies without messing with the peppermints you could sprinkle on Christmas decorations and flavor your icing with a bit of peppermint extract.