A buttery dark chocolate thumbprint cookie with a miniature peppermint patty pressed into the middle and covered with sprinkles!
I’ve watched Elf 3x in the last 2 days, and I can’t even estimate how many times I’ve watched it since mid-November! Nor would I want to admit the number of viewings even if I could! Still not sick of it either. I am a Christmas movie addict.
I’m also hooked on those ridiculously sappy made-for-tv Christmas movies. I can’t stop watching the ones on Hallmark and ABC Family. I love them for their heartwarming and wholesome goodness, yet I laugh at how corny and cheesy they can be. I’m not even a romantic-comedy person, but if romance happens around Christmastime? I’m in. I’ll still roll my eyes the entire time though.
Let’s talk Christmas movies! If you love Christmas movies too, share your favorites down in the comments, including the made-for-tv ones too! Don’t leave out those gems!
Last night I got S.O. to watch Home Alone with me, which is a HUGE accomplishment. Perhaps a Christmas miracle. He didn’t even fight me on it. It’s a big deal because not only is he pretty scrooge-like and grinch-y about Christmas, but it’s also a kids movie, basically. I love it and it’s one of my favorite holiday movies, but I saw it in the theater when I was 8 years old, so of course it’s a classic to me! Home Alone wasn’t really a film from his era though. He didn’t seem bored or miserable, and actually laughed a few times, so I consider that a success!
Incidentally, I also saw Home Alone 2 in the theater! Does that classify me as a super fan?
Okay, enough movie talk, I guess! As we were watching it last night, we snacked on these cookies. More specifically, I snacked on these cookies. A lot. I had one of those days where I just couldn’t get full. I know you know what I mean. We plow through a lot of sweets in this house, but I stuff things in the freezer sometimes too, because if I didn’t, cookies would make up our entire diet. So, if you’re wondering, these Dark Chocolate Peppermint Patty Thumbprints taste pretty darn good frozen!
They’re also quite perfect straight from the oven. The peppermint patty gets a little melty and gooey from sitting on the warm cookie, and a warm chocolate cookie in and of itself is quite dreamy! I used dark chocolate cocoa instead of regular cocoa in these because it makes them extra rich and chocolate-y! It pairs so nicely with the dark chocolate surrounding the peppermint patty. I probably don’t need to persuade you anymore why it’s a good idea to put a peppermint patty on top of a chocolate cookie, right?
Dark Chocolate Peppermint Patty Thumbprints
Ingredients
- 1/2 c. butter softened
- 2/3 c. sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tbsp. milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
- 1 c. flour
- 1/3 c. Hershey's Special Dark baking cocoa
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 - 3 oz. bottle of sprinkles
- 36 mini peppermint patties
Instructions
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In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and sugar. Cream until light and fluffy.
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Beat in egg yolk, milk, vanilla, and peppermint extract.
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In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa, and salt. Blend well.
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Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the mixing bowl. Mix until well-blended.
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Refrigerate for 1 hour or until dough easily forms into a ball.
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Shape into balls slightly larger than 1-inch.
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Pour the sprinkles into a small bowl, and roll each ball in the sprinkles until well-coated.
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Place each ball 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets.
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Press an indentation in the center of each dough ball using your thumb.
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Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until set when you lightly touch an edge (carefully).
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Remove from oven and allow to cool on pan for 1-2 minutes.
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Press a peppermint patty into the middle of the cookie, into the indentation.
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Remove cookies from pans with a spatula, and cool completely on wire racks.
Also…. SPRINKLES. Yay!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
December 17, 2014 at 12:24 pmI’m definitely a Christmas movie and TV fanatic! That’s all that I’ve been watching for the past few weeks! I did watch Home Alone last night too. And I saw both movies in the theaters when I was little…such a classic movie! My brother even had the talkboy that is featured in the second one, that was such a popular toy when we were younger (and now I’m totally aging myself). The Home Alone house is actually located about 45 minutes from me, so my husband and I might go to see it this weekend. I know, I’m a super dork! And I love any cheesy TV movie, especially on Lifetime! 🙂
Ok onto these thumbprints…love them, Sarah! They look so festive and gorgeous! And the peppermint patty is the perfect holiday touch. Love these!
Sarah says
December 18, 2014 at 6:14 pmOh wow – you live that close to the Home Alone house?? I’d totally go to see it too!! That’s so cool, Gayle! HILARIOUS – I love that you saw both movies in the theater too, and that you guys had the talkboy! That’s awesome. We are super fans together! Lol! My S.O. is a bit older so the movies were not from his era at all, so it’s even more of an accomplishment that he watched them. Haha! Thanks for your kind words, as always! 🙂
Manali @ CookWithManali says
December 17, 2014 at 12:40 pmThese look so pretty & festive Sarah! Gorgeous pictures too 🙂 Pinned.
Sarah says
December 18, 2014 at 6:14 pmThanks so much, Manali!
Amanda says
December 17, 2014 at 12:48 pmThese are so gorgeous and festive!!!
Sarah says
December 18, 2014 at 6:15 pmThank you so much, Amanda! I always appreciate kind comments from you!! 🙂
Kelly says
December 17, 2014 at 4:23 pmThese are the most creative thumbprints I’ve seen! Love how festive and pretty they are and the peppermint patty in the middle sounds amazing! We’ve watched Elf twice already this year too – definitely one of our favorites along with NL’s Christmas Vacation.
Sarah says
December 18, 2014 at 6:24 pmThanks, Kelly! I love how the sprinkles made them so colorful and Christmas-y! Yes, Elf is definitely my favorite Christmas movie, by far!! It’s just soooooo good! 🙂
Stacey @ Bake.Eat.Repeat. says
December 17, 2014 at 5:43 pmMmmmmmm. Those look like the perfect cookie. Chocolate and peppermint is the best combination! And you made them so pretty too! The sprinkles are so festive! I love the movie Elf – haven’t watched any Christmas movies yet this year though – I don’t know what’s wrong with me! Not enough time this year, it feels really busy for some reason. Maybe I’ll have to watch Home Alone with the kids when they’re on break, they’re probably old enough to enjoy that one now! Either that, or get scared that they’ll be left home alone and robbers will come. One of those. Hopefully the former! 🙂
Sarah says
December 18, 2014 at 6:27 pmAren’t the sprinkles cute?? You can never go wrong with sprinkles. They make everything pretty and colorful! I know what you mean… this season is flying by. I feel waaaay behind on so many things too!! But yes, you must bust out your Christmas movies, asap! Elf is definitely my fave, but the Home Alone movies are also near the top of my list. They’re just childhood classics! Haha!
Zainab says
December 17, 2014 at 10:45 pmHhahah I have been stuck on Lifetime and Hallmark too. SO not me but the Christmas movies get me!! Love these cookies. So pretty!
Sarah says
December 18, 2014 at 6:25 pmLol! I am the same way. I’m not normally into tv movies AT ALL, but something about Christmastime… haha! Thanks, Zainab! 🙂
Jordyn @ Almost Supermom says
December 18, 2014 at 8:02 pmA girl after my own heart! I’m such a Christmas movie junkie and I’m not ashamed lol! These look absolutely delish! can’t wait to try them 🙂
Sarah says
December 19, 2014 at 9:57 amLol! I’m so glad I’m not alone! I’m just a big ol’ nerd about Christmas and love everything about it – cheesy tv movies and all! Thanks for your kind comment, Jordyn! 🙂
Raquel says
December 19, 2014 at 11:35 amThese are beautiful and I love peppermint patties! Stumbled!
Sarah says
December 20, 2014 at 1:38 pmThanks so much, Raquel!! 🙂
Anna @ Sunny Side Ups says
December 20, 2014 at 11:29 amOh yum! Im in love with the peppermint patty in the middle! So pretty and delicious! These cookies look like the perfect thing to savor while I watch my next Christmas movie tonight! I’m with ya-I’m a holiday movie addict too! You can never see too many! 🙂
Sarah says
December 20, 2014 at 1:45 pmHaha! I know, I’m such a junkie for Christmas movies! Let me know if you try them! Thanks, Anna! 🙂
Renee says
December 20, 2014 at 7:43 pmI love this! These look fabulous and I love anything with chocolate and mint!
Sarah says
December 22, 2014 at 3:52 pmMe too! They are such a great flavor team! Thanks so much, Renee. Happy Holidays to you! 🙂
Michelle@TheRibbonRetreat says
December 22, 2014 at 9:53 amYummy! These little cookies look so fun, festive and delicious. I can’t wait to try make these for my family. They are going to love them. Thanks for sharing. PINNED!
Sarah says
December 22, 2014 at 3:57 pmYay – so glad you like them, Michelle! Merry Christmas!
Kim says
December 10, 2015 at 10:17 amI love, love, love this idea for a thumbprint. Thank you for the idea. I will definitely be making these this weekend. I am currently NOT eating any carbs, but come cookie time right at Christmas, all bets are off. So my mixer will be mixing, and my oven will be hot. The men in my life will totally enjoy themselves as they have felt very deprived this year. As far as the Christmas movies go, JUNKIE ONE here. I have been watching them since before Thanksgiving. And now I am finding them, not only on Hallmark and Lifetime, but ABC Family more often and AMC. Yours truly is in heaven. Hubby, not so much. LOL Have a wonderful Christmas season, and again, thank you very much for the new recipe. Oh yea, my all time favorite Christmas movie? It’s a Wonderful Life with Jimmy Stewart!
Sarah says
December 17, 2015 at 10:54 amOh I missed your comment! So sorry I didn’t respond sooner! I hope you tried the thumbprints and that they turned out well for you! Girl, how can you live without carbs?? I’m impressed with your will-power! I can’t go without, but yes, you must splurge for Christmas! The holidays are only once a year, so it’s worth it. 🙂 I love the Hallmark movies, and I also love the ABC Family movies! I used to like Lifetime’s, but since Hallmark has been stepping up their game, I’ve watched a lot more of those. My favorite of all-time though is probably Elf. It’s on a constant loop, basically. Haha! Can’t go wrong with It’s a Wonderful Life though – definitely a classic for a reason! Happy holidays to you and yours! 🙂
Julie G. says
December 23, 2015 at 6:11 pmThese cookies look great, but when I baked them, they flattened out and didn’t hold their little cup shapes. What did I do wrong?
Sarah says
December 26, 2015 at 12:17 pmI have no idea. Did you make any substitutions? Did you refrigerate the dough? Do you have an oven thermometer? Let me know any changes you might’ve made so I can troubleshoot. I’ve made these thumbprints many times, and reader feedback has been positive, so the recipe is accurate. Let me know if there were any substitutions!! I’d love to try to help figure out what happened!
Charity says
December 17, 2018 at 9:30 pmMy family absolutely loves these cookies! Found them on Pinterest and finally was able to get around to making. We usually do low carb around here since we have a T1 in the family but when it comes to Christmas you have to go all out. I did replace the sugar with Swerve and they were still amazing! Can’t stop stuffing our faces:) Thanks for a great recipe! would you mind if I linked in my blog?
Sarah says
December 17, 2018 at 10:17 pmHi there! That’s wonderful! I’m so glad to hear you liked them. They’ve been a very popular recipe the last few years. I’m looking forward to making them with my family this week. I hope you all have wonderful holidays!! 🙂