Dark Chocolate Tahini Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients you’ll need:

• Unsalted butter: It is very important to have your butter at room temperature. You can ensure this by lightly pressing your finger on the block of butter. It should slightly leave an imprint. I also prefer to use unsalted butter because salted butters have varying amounts of salt content in them and it is always a good idea to add it on your own and avoid your bakes from being too salty.
• Brown sugar: You can use either light or dark brown sugar to make this recipe. Brown sugar helps to add moisture and softness to the cookies.
• Granulated sugar: Along with adding sweetness, granulated sugar helps the cookies hold their perfect shape and structure.
• Egg yolk: These cookies are chewy yet so soft and moist. One of the secret to that is this extra egg yolk which adds more moisture to your cookies along with also being a binding agent. Having your eggs at room temperature makes it easier to incorporate them and allow them to mix thoroughly in your cookie dough. A good way of doing this is by letting them sit in a bowl filled with room temperature water for around 10 minutes or until they come down to room temperature.
• Vanilla: I highly recommend that you use a high quality, pure vanilla extract. This helps in giving a rich flavor to your baked goods. Pure vanilla extracts are typically dark brown in color. This enhances the flavor of all ingredients and you should never leave this out.
• All-purpose flour: I highly recommend weighing all your ingredients using a kitchen scale for accurate recipe results. If you’re using cups, don’t scoop your cup into the flour. Spoon the flour into your cup and level it off with the back of a knife.
• Cocoa Powder: A good quality natural and unsweetened cocoa powder is the best (I use Hersheys and I love it). This can make a huge difference in the taste of chocolate in your baked goods. I highly recommend you use a cocoa powder which is natural and unsweetened.
• Espresso Powder: Such small quantities of espresso powder will not add any coffee flavor to your cookies but rather, it will only enhance the flavor of chocolate in them, thus making them even more delicious!
• Tahini: Use a natural & drippy tahini for best results. A brand that lists raw sesame seeds in the ingredients is preferable as compared to one with any other additives as they can alter the flavor of your cookies.

FAQ

How to get perfectly round cookies?To get perfectly round cookies, make sure you do not skip two steps. Firstly, chill the shaped cookies in the freezer to avoid them from spreading in the oven. Secondly, use a large round cookie or biscuit cutter to round out each cookie immediately after they come out of the oven. Cookies are moist and soft when they come out of the oven and this is a very effective way to get perfectly round cookies. They will continue to bake as they cool.

How to get perfectly shaped thumbprints?Roll the cookie dough into 1-inch balls to form 12 cookies total. Place them on the lined baking tray or mat spaced 2-inches apart. Press your thumb gently into center of each cookie to form indentation, about 1/2-inch deep. Freeze or refrigerate these cookies before baking them so that they hold their shape while baking.

Can these cookies be made ahead of time?You can freeze these cookies before baking. You can freeze both the dough or shaped cookies. If freezing shaped cookies, do not stack them. Transfer the frozen dough to the refrigerator a night before you want to bake it. You can keep the frozen dough for 3 months. I do not recommend freezing these cookies after baking them.

Other Chocolate Recipes you’ll love:

• Chocolate Espresso Babka
• Single Layer Chocolate Ganache Buttermilk Cake
• Hi-Hat Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Some other tips you’ll need:

• If baking in batches, keep the remaining cookies in refrigerator instead of the freezer, until they are ready to bake.
• You can freeze these cookies before baking. Transfer the frozen dough to the refrigerator a night before you want to bake it. You can keep the frozen dough for 3 months. I do not recommend freezing the cookies after baking them.
• To get perfectly round cookies, use a large round cookie or biscuit cutter to round out each cookie immediately after they come out of the oven.
• I highly recommend investing in an oven thermometer and a kitchen scale. Baking at accurate temperatures and weighing your ingredients correctly ensure that you can replicate the recipes perfectly and enjoy the best flavors.

Happy Baking!