Chocolate Fudge S’mores Thumbprints.
I do this one stupid thing.
I mean, it’s really stupid.
I keep watching this dumb movie… this Dear John movie… secretly hoping that the ending is going to change every single time. It’s on TV like three times a week (just to spite me) and seriously… someone should have been smart enough to change the awful ending by now. Each and every time the credits start to roll I want to throw the remote straight at the screen and belt “but whyyyyyyy?!?”
Yeah. Maybe you’ve heard me mention this before? Pretty sure I complained about it on Twitter, uh… like 14 months ago? And maybe even again on Facebook about 7 months ago. Are you thinking someone needs to GET A LIFE?!
Me too.
Yet I can’t stop. Every time I spy it on Starz or Skinemax I turn it on and torture myself.
Like yesterday morning. I sipped tea, which I loathe. I slurped cereal, which I love. I sunk deeper and deeper and deeper into my dreamy fort of blankets on the couch. I stared longingly into Channing Tatum’s eyes.
Then BAM! Same ending.
But then I got off my arse and made these s’mores cookies and righted my life again, because no movie’s gonna hold me down. Is that a word? Righted? It is now.
The minute December hits, I immerse myself in Mother Lovett’s recipes and refuse to come up for air. What can I say? I have a thing for the scent of musty moth balls and stained, yellowed paper. It has so much more… character than that deficient Dear John.
Thumbprints were her thing. She was like, alllllll about the thumbprints. Not gonna lie – they have never been my fave. I’m more of an oooey and gooey and chewy chocolate chip cookie kind of gal, and not so much of a tender crumb cookie that someone pokes their (most likely) dirty fingers in mid-bake and fills with fruit, which we all know is NOT dessert. You hear??
But these days? I eat them because they taste like her. In a non-creeptastic way. While baking they smell like her. In a non-old person way. And the mere act of seeing them on a holiday cookie tray reminds me of her. Errr, well… reminds me of how she used to store thumbprints in her freezer inside reused aluminum foil packets, bringing them out two years later and placing them on the tiny ceramic leaf tray that sat on her coffee table. They resembled the lovely consistency of stone.
The fact is, I still can’t believe that it’s been nearly four years since I stood in her kitchen and listened to her rip me a new one because I “didn’t do the thumbprint right!”
Apparently there was only one way to do it.
So I still make them and probably do that part wrong. Every year.
And even though I’ll enjoy a bite or two of that traditional thumbprint recipe, let’s be honest: you just KNOW I’ve been dying to trash these up. I’ve gone back and forth for weeks deciding between peanut butter chocolate thumbprints or white chocolate thumbprints or cheesecake thumbprints or tiramisu thumbprints or anything-but-fruit thumbprints.
But I’m pretty sure I hit the thumbprint jackpot here. And I may never say the word thumbprint again.
And no.. I will never stuff my thumbprints (darnit) with fruity stuff. Because, uh, who in the world emotionally eats fruit every time John and Savannah STILL don’t end up together? Not I.
Chocolate Fudge S’mores Thumbprints
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg yolk
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 mini chocolate chips
- 1/2 batch of marshmallow frosting
- 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs, or more if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Sift flour, cocoa powder and salt into a bowl and set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until fluffy (scraping the bowl when needed), for about 3-4 minutes. Add in egg yolk and vanilla, and beat for another 1-2 minutes until combined. With the mixer on low speed, stir in the flour mixture and gradually increase the speed for the dough to come together, again scraping down the sides to combine. One batter has come together, fold in chocolate chips.
- Roll into balls that are about 1 inch in diameter and set on a baking sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from oven and gently press your thumb into the center of each cookie, creating a dent. Place the cookies back in the oven and bake for 5-6 more minutes. Remove and let cool completely.
- One cool, use a spoon or butter knife and add 1-2 teaspoons of frosting into the cookies. Top with a hefty sprinkle of graham cracker crumbs. Store in an air-tight container. My grandma used to freeze her thumbprints, so I’m pretty sure these can be frozen if placed in a single layer and wrapped tightly.
- Notes: I used a bit of extra milk (2-3 tablespoons) to thin out my usual marshmallow frosting. If you are making these ahead of time and plan to freeze, I don’t suggest that as the frosting is a bit runnier. If you are making them a day or two in advance, thinning the frosting should be fine.
Notes
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I appreciate you so much!
Take that Dear John!
202 Comments on “Chocolate Fudge S’mores Thumbprints.”
We’ll if these aren’t the cutest I don’t know what is!
You had some hysterical lines in this post! And once again with the creativity on the recipe! Well…that is everyday. :) I’ve never made thumbprints before, and heave never had one filled with fruit. There is one cookie I like that has fruit in it…some sort of apricot spread and it’s like a buttery cookie? Not sure what it is, but I love that one! haha
hahahahaha your thoughts on Dear John is exactly how I feel about every single one of N.Sparks books. I want to throw them … all. I get so into them and then BAM, like you said, they don’t end up together, or somebody dies. I met him at a book signing once, and asked him when he was going to write me a happy ending… hasn’t happened yet.
Ha! OMG, no you didn’t! I actually like the ending of The Notebook. Have you read The Best of Me? Read that a few weeks ago. Ugh!
I just started reading it! My mom told me that it made her so mad that she wants to write N.S a letter asking him why he has to do this! And yes, I like the ending to the Notebook and Safe Haven (just because they ended up together) was OK, but I mean things like the Lucky One, and then At First Sight, and The Last Song. Most of the recent ones have been so OMG throw this book out the window. I remember finishing Message in a Bottle and I was livid. haha But then again… I keep on reading his books. I just can’t help it!
I love your Mother Lovett stories ~ thanks so much for sharing!
I haven’t seen the Dear John movie but I remember feeling that way reading the book. Seriously Nicholas Sparks has a dark side with all his sad endings! Or he just knows women a little too well.
These cookies look delicious! I loved the book dear john but the movie was not my favorite! I always wish the ending would be different!
These look incredible. Much better than fruit! :)
I’m sure your thumbprints are up to par by now! They look good to me!
Wonderful cookies. I must try :)
these are amazing.
Oh those look good, and I really cannot understand why people think fruit in desert is good, I mean if I wanted healthy I would eat healthy. I want sugar and chocolate thank you very much!
Adding. To. Netflix. Now.
hahaha I love the first picture and yes, I love smore’s so this recipe is perfect for me
Those look awesome! Your pictures are great :-) definitely making me hungry!
love that last picture!!
These are like the prettiest cookies! The nice contrast of the dark and light and the thought of the flavors mixing together? YUM! I’ve never seen that movie…but I’ll be sure never to watch it ;)
oh man…think these might be a christmas day treat. or like, a tuesday treat haha. looks awesome!
I do the same thing to that Dear John movie. Kind of depressing….
These cookies are the cutest/yummiest. I am adding them to my Christmas cookie list!
On the subject of freezing cookies…are there certain types of cookies that are bad to freeze for a couple weeks? I was thinking of doing all my cookies ahead of time this year but am a bit nervous about ending up with rocks instead of bourbon balls, cherry cookies and peanut butter blossoms.
Mary, I wish I could help you out more but I rarely freeze anything. I’m not sure honestly. But I’ll tell you what I do because this is what my grandma did: we bake everything up to 2-3 weeks before, wrap is really well in a mix of saran and foil, place it in sealed tupperware containers and then leave them in the garage! Obviously this only works if you live in a cold area in December (like I do)… but the cookies have always been great.
Thanks Jessica! Now that you mention it, I think I remember my Aunt doing that too. Appreciate the advice – and all the great recipes! I’ll have to try these thumbprints out, although like you, I’m more of a big, chewy, gewy chocolate chip cookie girl myself.
Never seen that movie and I’m not sure I should now. But I think I should make these yummies. Yes, I should.
YUM! Those looks just about perfect! And would you believe I never saw Dear John?
I love this idea, they look delicious and so comforting!
FYI… The DVD has an alternate ending….
Ka
I’ve heard!
Can’t wait to read his new book…Dear John was a great one…I can’t help but torture myself with the movie. These cookies definitely take the pain away!
Oh girl… read it and get back to me about the ending. Heart wrencher.
This post cracked me up – needed that on a monday! Oh, the cookies look amazing by the way..
This has nothing to do with this post, but have you been to the new olive oil tasting shop near Zelionople? Sort of in your neck of the woods I think. I don’t know if it can live up to Fustini’s but it would be fun! http://enchantedolive.com/
I have not! Thanks for the heads up!
I love this recipe… super cute little balls of chocolatey goodness. I especially love the last picture in this post… so cooooooool.
Katie at http://www.ohshineon.com
these look like the perfect vehicle for the leftover peanut butter buttercream i have….
OH yes – that would be perfect!
I think I have to make these cookies!! Quick question on the measurement for the mini chocolate chips though…is it half a cup, or half a bag? Or half a case? The more the better, obvi…but so the cookies turn out, I thought I’d better check!
…Great pics, too!
Oops – half cup. :)
Don’t they end up together in the end and live on her ranch? Oh, wait, did I make up my own ending? I am pretty sure that they ended up together!!!
wow Jessica, these look really good. I love all your photos. you are really talented. Nice job!
Every time I go to watch that movie, I think they’ll end up together because it’s just too perfect for them not to. And then it ends. There really needs to be an alternate ending to that movie.
Just when I thought I had found every single s’mores baked good (for my s’mores-only dreamworld bakery) out there…
Trust me, I thought I was out of s’mores ideas too.
That movie is CRAP!!!!!! I went with a bunch of my girlfriends to see it, and we all left feeling like it took us out in the back alley and beat us. The only silver lining is now, whenever we want to taunt each other, we often phrase our insults in such a manner (always using an inexplicably Staten Island accent):
Deah Jawn,
Yoo make me vary angry, and that sweatah makes yoo loowk like a fatass.
Love,
me
LOL!
i love all your recipes and your posts are so funny, but i don’t think you meant to use the channel “skinemax” (considering that is the adult movie section of cinemax!)
I did – I was simply being facetious.
Am I watching the same movie you are??? Because in the very end, don’t they end up together in a round about way? They did an alternate ending if you have the DVD you can watch it where it ends like the book, but the theatrical version has them I believe together in the end????? I mean I know it’s not the way we probably wanted to see it, but….maybe I’m just wishing they were together…
I agree it completely sucks me in everytime I run across it too, I feel your pain!
BTW these cookies look amazing!
Haha, well, I actually want to believe the same thing too. I always thought that it was just them “bumping into” each other a few years later, but I always pretend they are together!
Haha! I wish I could “like” this.
” But I always pretend they are together!”
hahaha
Its the only way.
These look great! Does the marshmallow frosting set up enough so that it would be ok on a holiday cookie tray?
Many thanks!
Yep, it will set up fine, however I don’t suggest storing them on top of each other because it doesn’t quite harden like buttercream. If you just use the regular marshmallow buttercream, they will be fine – some notes in the recipe!
Thank you!!
Oh my. Those just look absolutely divine.
My baking list is pretty full this year but these might just have to be added! I read every Nicholas Sparks book and then hate myself for doing it as soon as I get to the ending. I just saw that The Lucky One is being made into a movie and will come out in April.
They’re so cute!
I could not agree more…about the movie and the thumbprint cookies! I even read the book hoping it was different! Nope. These cookies look awesome!
Yummoo.. gorgeous :)
Holy Moly, I MUST make these. My fiance and I are huge fans of s’mores. We make them almost nightly in the summer. We’re actually trying to come up with a way to have s’mores at our wedding. I have to make some goodies for a holiday party this weekend. This recipe will come in handy! Thanks so much for sharing :)
This is too funny, bc I made thumbprint cookies this year and they were my grandma’s original recipe, too. She ALWAYS yelled at me when the thumbprint wasn’t done right. I felt like I was back in her kitchen when I was putting the thumbprint in last night.
Jessica,
Please stop making me try to eat my computer screen. People at work are looking at me like I’m crazy. And all I can concentrate on are these freaking scrumptious cookies…totally killing my work drive. I’m nervous (super excited) to see what other cookies are on your secret baking list this year.
Thanks,
Steph
ya know, i’ve never seen that movie so thanks for ruining the ending! haha totally kidding- i doubt i would have watched it & especially not now since i know the ending sucks. :)
now about these cookies, can i just say that i love you? these are amazing. like so super duper i’m buying a plane ticket to pittsburgh so you can share these with me amazing.
GENIUS!! i really really want to make a gf version of this. like right now. oh and dear john – i’m with you. stupid writers, I blame them for my emotional eating.
lol you are so funny.
and i’m glad you were able to get that Christmas tree in your pic! :)
yummmyy recipe
I always hope that movies will end differently! Unfortunately it hasn’t worked…yet :)
These are just so dang cute! Definitely adding it to my holiday baking list… Who says S’mores can’t be festive?