Apparently, I am on some sort of dessert kick. I don’t hate it but my hips might. Oh, well. Bob’s Red Mill is hosting an Instagram contest right now for a cookie inspired by your state. What else screams Ohio other than a buckeye? A typical buckeye is peanut butter mixed with powdered sugar and butter rolled into a ball and dipped in melted chocolate. These mini buckeye thumbprint cookies have similar ingredients but a different execution.
You’re going to start with Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose flour which comes in a super sturdy bag. Yes, this might seem like something silly to enjoy but when your pantry is stocked with baking supplies, this is important. Growing up, my mom lived by the level your flour with a butter knife rule. Typically, I don’t follow this rule but I guess I was feeling nostalgic today.
Perhaps I was feeling nostalgic because my little peanut decided she wanted to help bake all the cookies with me today. Before anyone freaks out, she was not near anything hot or unsafe. Instead, she was mesmerized by the whir of our new Kitchen Aid mixer. Since you have to mix your batter for several minutes, there was plenty of time for Baby O snuggles.
Once she is a bit bigger and you know, can sit up without falling over after 10 seconds, I imagine this will be her favorite part of baking cookies. I loved rolling the dough into the little balls that would eventually get rolled in sugar. While I didn’t used to be as precise with the size of rolled cookies, I’ve escalated a bit and now use a uniform cookie scoop. I find they cook move evenly when they are the same size. Imagine that.
I feel like I should have rolled these thumbprint cookies in sugar because they would have been ever better. Regardless, they are delicious and worth the calories. Pro tip: when you are making thumbprint cookies, dip your finger in powdered sugar to make the divot in the cookie. It tastes better than flour and is just as effective.
After your little thumbprint cookies are finished up, you’ll get to the buckeye part of this recipe. To thin the peanut butter out, I melted it and added some powdered sugar. Clearly, I was digging powdered sugar this week.
My favorite part of these thumbprint cookies is the dark chocolate drizzle on top. Once you get your mixture thin enough, it’s so easy to make a beautiful little design on top. The nice thing too is even if you are artsy or a great decorator, a drizzle is easy and looks effortlessly beautiful. When making your chocolate, do NOT microwave it. I know some people have no problem melting their chocolate to the right temperature. I am not one of those people. Make a super simple double boiler so you can control the consistency. Then, grab a big mug of coffee and go to town on these babies.
- 2 sticks (1 cup) butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Flour
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1/2-3/4 cup whole milk or heavy cream
- Cream butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes on medium high with paddle attachment.
- Mix egg and vanilla in separate bowl. Add egg and vanilla to butter/sugar and cream for 7-9 minutes.
- Portion bite size pieces using cookie scoop, roll into balls and place on parchment lined cookie sheet.
- Smoosh them down a bit and using a powdered sugar covered finger, indent to make the "thumbprint." Set aside.
- Melt peanut butter then add powdered sugar until combined.
- Spoon melted peanut butter mixture into "thumbprint."
- Chill on pan in fridge for at least one hour.
- Once ready to cook, bake at 375 F for 9-11 minutes.
- While cookies are cooling, prepare your chocolate drizzle.
- Set up a double boiler (metal bowl over a boiling pot of water) and add chocolate chips. Using a rubber spatula, stir your chocolate chips to melt and then add 1/2 cup of milk. Let it combine and melt completely until desired consistency. You may need to add more milk to get it thin enough.
- Use a fork and drizzle melted chocolate over your thumbprint cookies.
- Let cool and serve with coffee or hot chocolate!
We'd Love To Hear Your Thoughts on This Recipe!