It’s Christmas Eve! If you’re like me, that means lots of relaxing, eating, and spending time with my family. And maybe some last minute (yes, now it’s really last minute) baking.

If you’re seeking a relatively quick, very easy, festive holiday cookie, look no further. These are great for the chocoholic (sorry, not me) in your family. Or a chocolic friend, because who doesn’t like to be surprised with a plate of cookies this time of year?

Chocolate Fudge Thumbprint Cookies

from Cafe Mom

Here’s what you need

• 2 sticks + 2 tablespoons of butter, softened
• ¾ cup sugar
• ⅓ cup cocoa powder
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 heaping cup powdered sugar
• 2­ Tablespoons hot water
• 1 Tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• holiday sprinkles

Here’s what you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Cream the butter, sugar and ⅓ cup cocoa powder. Mix well until one thorough mixture.
2. Combine the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a separate bowl. Add to the butter mixture by thirds and mix until combined.
3. Roll the dough into small balls, about one-inch in diameter. Indent each ball with your thumb or a small spoon in the center.
4. Bake for 7-8 minutes until cookie dough is lightly cracked on the surface but still soft.
5. When they come out of the oven, don’t be surprised if your thumbprint is gone!  You’ll likely need to press the center of each cookie down again to make your frosting well. Cool completely.
6. While cookies are cooling, make the frosting: mix the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, hot water, and vanilla. Spoon the frosting into the centers of the cooled cookies and add festive sprinkles while frosting is still wet. Allow frosting to set before putting away.

Enjoy! I’m not a huge chocolate fan and even I enjoyed one (or a few). They’re not MY favorite (again, not a big chocolate fan) but they were definitely a hit. For simple modifications, I may play with the filling, adding peppermint or peanut butter in the future.

Questions for you:

• Chocolate lover or not?
• What are some thumbprint cookies you enjoy? I love jam cookies!