Since these cookies are super duper chocolatey, you want to make sure to use your favorite, high quality chocolate. I used Scharffen Berger because it is my favorite and I always make sure that when ever I make a trip home to San Francisco, I stop by their Ferry Building location and stock up!
I love making thumbprints because they’re a great way to incorporate two flavors you really love in one cookie. In the past I’ve made peanut butter and jelly thumbprints as well as chocolate peppermint. Marscarpone is one of my favorite ingredients of the moment, so I’ve been wanting to incorporate it into a yummy dessert. Cinnamon is also one of my favorite go-tos to add a pop of flavor, so for this I combined the two for a super delicious cookie.
To make the thumbprint, make sure to pull the cookies and make the well while the cookie is still pretty soft. To do this, I typically use the end of my wooden spatula (as seen above). These cookies will really firm up as they cool, so I took them out of the oven pretty early.
Another note on these little bites of heaven – if you’re not going to eat all of the cookies at once, store the marscarpone separately and covered in the fridge and the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. That way you can just combine when you’re ready!
THE PASTRY POSTS DOUBLE CHOCOLATE COOKIES WITH CINNAMON MARSCARPONE THUMBPRINT
Makes 3 dozen
(Double chocolate cookie recipe is originally from the Tartine cookbook)
Ingredients
For the cookies:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract
1/3 cup whole milk
For the filling:
1/2 cup marscarpone
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Directions
- Pre-heat oven to 350F.
- Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water. Remove the chocolate from the heat when it is melted and set it to the side to cool.
- Sift and stir together the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, beat the butter until smooth and creamy.
- Add sugar slowly until combined and soft.
- On low speed, add one egg and make sure it is completely combined before adding the second. Mix until combined.
- Mix in the vanilla and salt.
- With your mixer on low, add the melted chocolate.
- Add the milk until combined.
- Slowly add the flour mix (with your mixer still on low), until completely incorporated.
- Using a cookie dough scoop or spoon, place the dough on a lined baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies until they are just barely firm to the touch – about 9-10 minutes.
- Once taken out of the oven, use the end of a wooden spoon or spatula to make a well (or crater) in the center of each cookie and let cool on a baking rack.
- While the cookies are cooling, make the filling by whipping together the ingredients. If you’d like more cinnamon, feel free to add more!
- Use a spoon to place the filling in the well of the cookie*.
- Enjoy!
* As noted above, if you won’t be enjoying these cookies immediately, you can store each separately (filling in the fridge and cookies at room temperature) and assemble before eating.
