Let's talk Christmas Cookies, Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies to be exact. Rich chewy gingerbread cookie dough rolled in sugar, then filled with eggnog and white chocolate. I can't tell you exactly how many I ate. All I will say is they were thoroughly taste tested for your future enjoyment.
Eggnog is one of those holiday cocktails you either have a fondness for or you don't. It just so happens that I LOVE EGGNOG! Boozey or not, I look forward to cold nog all year long. Sprinkle a glass with cinnamon to pair with warm cookies and we've got a holiday party:)
Why You'll Love These Eggnog Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies
- Gingerbread Flavor: All the spices and molasses notes for a classic gingerbread cookie.
- Fun to Make: Who doesn't love rolling cookie dough balls in sugar and making thumbprints?
- Great Christmas Cookie Gifts: Make a batch for your holiday cookie boxes!
Ingredients
- Molasses: The key to a classic gingerbread recipe is molasses! Make sure to use "un-sulphered" molasses and not the overpowering blackstrap molasses.
- NO Leaveners: This thumbprint cookie recipe does not use baking soda or baking powder. The cookies spread just enough to hold their shape from creaming together the butter and sugar.
- Eggnog: Holiday eggnog is mixed with the white chocolate to add a little spiced nog note to the filling.
- White Chocolate: I love the flavor of white chocolate paired with gingerbread, but you can swap out for dark or semi-sweet chocolate if you prefer.
Tips for making Thumbprint Cookies
- Use a rounded 'teaspoon' measuring spoon to press a perfect 'thumbprint' into your cookie dough.
- Don't over bake the cookies until they are hard. Remove cookies from the oven while they are still slightly soft.
- Once out of the oven, take your teaspoon and gently press down your 'thumbprint' again. Don't go lower than halfway through the cookie.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before filling the center with the eggnog white chocolate.
- Warm your eggnog and combine it with white chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 1.5 minutes in microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until melted and smooth. (You can also use a double boiler if preferred.)
- Transfer eggnog white chocolate to a piping bag. Snip off just the tip of the bag and fill in the thumbprint of each cooled cookie. ( A spoon works too!)
- Allow white chocolate time to set before packaging.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg.
How to Store Cookies
Store baked and decorated cookies in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Or, freeze cookies without the eggnog white chocolate filling in air tight freezer safe bag or container for up to 3 months.
Thumbprint Cookie FAQs
Yes, cookie dough should be chilled. Cold cookie dough is needed for firming the butter and holding the cookie shape when baked.
Thumbprint cookie dough can be made up to 2 days prior to baking. Cover in plastic wrap and stored in the fridge until ready to bake. Pre-scoop the cookie dough into balls before placing it in the fridge. Cold cookie dough is much harder to scoop out.
After cookie dough is made, shape into a disk and store in freezer safe plastic wrap or an air tight freezer safe bag for up to 3 months. Allow dough to warm about 20 minutes to soften for scooping into balls.
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Eggnog Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- In a large bowl, combine flour, spices, and salt. Hand whisk to evenly distribute ingredients and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, (or a large bowl using a handheld mixer) beat together softened butter with brown sugar until a creamy paste is formed. 1-2 minutes.
- Add the egg and molasses to the butter mixture. Mix on medium until smooth, scraping sides and bottom of bowl with spatula as needed.
- Next, spoon in the flour mixture a third at a time. Mixing in between each addition until all is incorporated and a smooth cookie dough is formed. Scrape bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.
- Pre-measure cookie dough balls before chilling. Take a 1.5 tablespoon capacity cookie scoop and measure out dough into 1 ½ inch balls. Place the cookie balls on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet or dish, cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
- Scooping the dough before chilling is much easier than after the dough is cold. Chilling the dough allows the dough to rest and butter to firm, preventing cookies from spreading too much in the oven.
- Preheat Oven to 350F (180C) and line a rimmed cookie sheet with a double layer of parchment paper. Bake in batches.
- After cookie dough has properly chilled, roll the cookie dough balls in between the palms of your hands to pack and smooth. Place a cookie ball in the bowl of granulated sugar, gently roll to coat completely. Repeat with remaining dough balls.
- Place dough balls on prepared baking sheet and space them 2 inches apart. One baking sheet should be able to fit 9 cookies at a time.
- Use a rounded 'teaspoon' measuring spoon to press a perfect 'thumbprint' into your cookie dough. (only press halfway down)
- Transfer baking tray to the middle rack of the oven and bake cookies for 8-10 minutes until they are set but still soft.
- Don't over bake cookies until they are hard. They will firm as they cool.
- Place baking sheet on a wire cooling rack. Immediately after removing cookies from the oven, take your teaspoon and gently reshape the 'thumbprint' while cookies are still warm. Just enough pressure to adjust the shape.
- Let cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes. They will firm as they cool. Then, transfer cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before filling with eggnog white chocolate.
- Warm the eggnog and combine with white chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 1.5 minutes in microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until melted and smooth.(You can also use a double boiler if preferred.)
- Transfer eggnog white chocolate to a piping bag. Pipe into thumbprint of cooled cookies.
- Allow chocolate to set for 30 minutes to an hour after filling.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon or grated nutmeg!
- Store cookies in an air tight container at room temperature.
Allison C
These look amazing! Since I’d like to make them ahead for a cookie exchange, can they be refrigerated or frozen? How long will they keep at room temperature?
Jenn
I would refrigerate in an air-tight container for about 7 days or freeze for up to 30 days.
Kimberly
Does it matter what kind of white chocolate chips you use??? As in, does it need to be real white chocolate or are the ones made w palm oil okay??
Jenn
Hi Kimberly, Any brand white chocolate chips for baking will work 🙂
Jordan M
These cookies were so good and simple! Took them in for a work cookie exchange, and people were already sneaking them away before the exchange. Plus my husband was disappointed we couldn't keep them all and asked for me to make another batch. This recipe was super moist, the tweaks were super helpful and the gingerbread flavor is perfect! I did tweak the recipe slightly to make them gluten free. Using the recommended 375 grams of flour, I used Cup4Cup. Then to ensure they got some height and maintained elasticity, I added 3/4 tsp xantham gum and increased the baking soda to 2 & 3/4 tsp baking soda. Otherwise, kept everything exactly the same.
I can't wait to make these again - probably within a week! Thanks for the great recipe Jenn!
Jenn
Thank you so much Jordan!!! Happy you like them:)
Nichelle
Lovely recipe! Came out great. I would have loved more eggnog flavor. If I double the eggnog will that prevent the chocolate from setting?
Steph
Just made these tonight and they are FANTASTIC! I kept stealing them before I packed them up (you know, just the ugly ones that the topping leaked over on)—new favorite Christmas cookie!
Jenn
Hey Steph! so glad you like them!! haha! Merry Christmas!!
Christine
We love these! I must have made very small cookies, as I got 56 out of one batch, but everyone loved them. They were the perfect bite!
Jenn
Wow Christine that's awesome!!! I'm so glad you liked them!
Jan
These cookies are amazing!! My husband was snitching them as fast as I added the white chocolate eggnog topping. He turned around with four in his hand and said, " Bet you can't eat just one!" They were a big hit at Thanksgiving too!! They are now one of our favorites!
Brenna
Can I freeze the cookie dough balls then bake later? Have you tried this?
Isabelle
Just made these cookies after finding on pinterest. They are fabulous!! super moist and flavour is delicious. I may have been making ugly ones just to snack on 😉 thanks for the recipe!
Courtney
I made these last Christmas and they were perfect. I tripled the recipe this year and they turned out wrong. Taste was great but they did not hold their shape. They spread out and went completely flat, even from frozen (I was getting creative on the third tray!). I had to have done something wrong this year. Boyfriend and mom chalked it up to me being forgetful but I swear I followed all of the measurements! Only thing I can think of was converting 10 tbsp of butter to 142 grams using a conversion website and multiplying by 3 for three batches. Because I really did not want to measure 30 tbsp of butter. I wish the butter measurement was in grams not tbsp. It is strange because some other ingredients are measured in grams here. Oh well - I have 114 flat delicious ginger cookies to eat by myself instead of gift to my friends and college professors lol! ♡
Sam
Très délicieux!!
Marisa
So tasty and fun to make, big hit during the holidays. Be patient while the white chocolate is setting! I thought the cookie part may dry out being left out while the chocolate set, but nope, still chewy and delicious 🙂
Jenn
So glad you like them, they're so fun to make!