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Birthday Party Thumbprints

These thumbprint cookies are a perfect birthday gift. Sprinkles are added to cookie dough. Then the cookie dough is rolled into balls and wells are pressed in the center of each dough ball. The formed cookies are refrigerated for 1 hour before baking. Next the cookies are baked and cooled. Heated heavy cream is added to white chocolate and stirred until smooth. Food coloring is added. Then the ganache is spooned into the wells of the cookies before adding more sprinkles.
Course Dessert
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Refrigeration Time 1 hour
Servings 36 cookies

Ingredients

Cookie Dough

  • ¾ cup 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • ½ cup confectioner’s sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ vanilla bean seeds scraped from
  • 1 ½ cups AP flour
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ⅔ cup + 2 tbsp rainbow sprinkles divided

White Chocolate Ganache

  • 3 oz 85 g white chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 3 tbsp heavy cream
  • 1 small drop of pink liquid food coloring

Instructions

Dough

  1. In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the confectioner’s sugar, vanilla extract and vanilla seeds, and beat on medium-high speed until combined and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
  2. Switch to low speed and slowly add the flour, ¼ cup at a time. Once all the flour is incorporated, add the salt. Turn the mixer up to high speed and beat until the dough comes together. Continue beating the dough until it becomes smooth. Once smooth, beat in ⅔ cup sprinkles on low speed.
  3. Roll balls of dough, 2 tsp of dough per cookie. Press your thumb or handle tip of a rubber spatula into the center of each dough ball to make an indentation. Place the unbaked cookies on 1 or 2 large plates. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour (and up to 2 days).
  4. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
  5. Remove unbaked cookies from the refrigerator and arrange 3 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 12 to 13 minutes, or until lightly browned on the sides.
  6. Remove from the oven. If the indentations have puffed up, press the handle tip into the cookies again. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Ganache

  1. Place the chopped white chocolate in a small heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once the cream begins to boil, immediately remove it from the heat and pour it over the white chocolate. Stir gently and slowly until the ganache is smooth. Stir in food coloring to obtain desired color. Allow the ganache to cool for 10 minutes before spooning into cookies. During this time, it will slowly thicken.
  2. Once the ganache is ready, spoon ½ tsp into each cooled cookie, or however much fills each. Top with remaining 2 tbsp sprinkles. Enjoy the cookies right away or wait until the ganache is set, about 2 hours.

Recipe Notes

Cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.