Vegan Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

Vegan Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

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Yield: 60

Author: Hudson Stepper

Ingredients

Almond Cookie Dough

• 1/2 cup granulated cane sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup whole almonds
• 12 oz unsalted vegan butter (cut in large chunks and slightly softened)
• 4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• 3 cups bleached all-purpose flour

Chocolate Filling

• 7-1/2 oz bittersweet or semisweet dairy-free chocolate (coarsely chopped)
• 5 tbsp unsalted vegan butter

Instructions

1. Process the sugar and salt in a food processor until it looks powdery and a little finer (30 to 60 seconds). Then add the almonds and process until they're finely chopped (about 20 seconds).
2. Add the vegan butter, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Pulse until the butter is smooth, scraping the bowl as necessary. Add the flour and pulse until a soft dough begins to form around the blade. Transfer the dough to a large bowl and stir briefly with a rubber spatula to be sure it's evenly mixed.
3. Scoop up a generous teaspoonful (2 level teaspoons) of the dough and shape it into a 1-inch ball with your hands. Roll the ball in the sugar and set it on a tray with waxed paper. Repeat with the rest of the dough, setting the balls slightly apart. Press a thumb, dipped in flour, into each ball to create a depression. Cover and refrigerate the cookies for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.
4. Remove the cookies from the refrigerator and arrange them 1 inch apart on an ungreased or foil-lined cookie sheet. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 325F. Let the cookies sit at room temperature while the oven heats. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. Gently redefine the depressions if necessary. Rotate the sheet and continue baking until the tops are lightly colored and the bottoms are golden brown, about 8 to 12 minutes more. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely.
5. When the cookies are cool, prepare the filling: Put the chocolate and unsalted vegan butter in a heatproof bowl set in a wide skillet of almost simmering water, or in the top of a double boiler. (Or microwave on medium power for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring after the first minute.) When the chocolate is almost completely melted, remove the bowl from the heat and stir until completely melted and smooth
6. Using a spoon, fill the depression of each cookie with the chocolate filling. If the filling hardens while using, reheat it in the pan of hot water.