GINGERBREAD CHEESECAKE THUMBPRINT COOKIES – Sweet and spicy gingerbread thumbprint cookies with cheesecake centers and a chocolate drizzle. Nothing spells C-h-r-i-s-t-m-a-s better!
I spun a plain thumbprint cookie from Martha Stewart into gingerbread sweethearts by lacing them with warm spices like ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. They’re filled with tangy cream cheese and finished with a drizzle of chocolate.
The bite of the cookie has crispy edges, is tender on the inside and melts in your mouth. I love how the creamy cheesecake centers cut through the rich spices while the sweet chocolate comes along for the ride.
To make the indentations Martha directs you to remove the hot cookies from the oven and press your thumb into them. What? Burn my fingerprint off for a cookie? The lengths that woman will go to. You have to love her devotion but there is an easier way.
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A way that doesn’t call for scorching yourself with 350 degree heat. Thereby scarring yourself for life. The end of a wooden spoon, ice cream scoop, whisk or a measuring spoon with a rounded bottom works a lot better. Duh.
I, for one couldn’t be happier that gingerbread season is here! Nothing makes a home smell more like the holidays. I hope you share the sentiment because I’m sitting on a small stack of gingerbread recipes.
I’m mildly obsessed. ← That’s an understatement.
GINGERBREAD CHEESECAKE THUMBPRINT COOKIES
Ingredients
- filling:
- 6 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- cookies:
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 + 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- chocolate drizzle:
- 1/2 cup white chocolate
- 2 teaspoons shortening
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate
Instructions
- Make the filling: In a medium mixing bowl beat cream cheese and brown sugar on medium speed 2 minutes. Beat in sour cream on low then egg and vanilla. Refrigerate.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat together 2 sticks of the butter, sugar, salt and vanilla on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy about 2 minutes.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour with the spices then gradually add to the wet mixture beginning on low speed and increasing to medium until well combined.
- Scoop rounded teaspoonfuls of the dough and roll into balls. Place about 1-2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes, remove from oven and use the end of a wooden spoon or the bottom of a small, rounded measuring spoon pressed into the middle of the cookie to make an indent. Fill the indent with a small spoon of the cream cheese mixture. Bake 8 more minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.
- Once cool drizzle with chocolate. Melt the white chocolate with 1 teaspoon of the shortening using the chocolate setting on your microwave, checking it every 20 seconds and stirring until smooth.
- Add to a piping bag fitted with a small tip or a baggie with the corner cut off and drizzle over 1/2 the cookies. Repeat with the semi-sweet chocolate and drizzle over remaining cookies.