Thumbprints have always been one of my favorite cookie varieties to bake. They’re easy to make, fun, and can be customized by switching up the base flavor and fillings; like with these chocolate hazelnut thumbprint cookies!
These beautiful cookies are filled with luscious chocolate hazelnut spread and topped with a fresh raspberry. A festive treat for the holiday season or Valentine’s Day!
This post was originally sponsored in 2018 by California Giant Berry Farms. We have since updated the content after the promotional period to best serve our current readers.
While traditionally made with a shortbread-like cookie base and jam filling (Swedish “Hallongrotta“), one of my favorite variations on the thumbprint theme is a cocoa-infused cookie filled with chocolate hazelnut spread. The combination is a chocolate lover’s dream!
To contrast the cookie’s richness and sweetness, and to pay homage to the fruit flavor in the classic recipe, I like top the filled thumbprints with a fresh raspberry. The juicy, sweet-tart berry compliments the creamy chocolate hazelnut spread and chewy cookie base perfectly.
These cookies are everything crave-worthy in a chocolate-berry dessert, wrapped up into a two-bite treat. Plus, the raspberry on top makes a beautiful presentation on a cookie plate.
What You’ll Need for Chocolate Hazelnut Thumbprint Cookies
The easy-to-make base for this recipe is a tender chocolate sugar cookie dough. From the pantry and fridge, you’ll need:
- All-purpose Flour. I use King Arthur.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder. For the best flavor and color, I use unsweetened dark or dutch process cocoa powder (such as Droste or Valrohna) in this recipe.
- Kosher Salt. I use Diamond Crystal.
- Unsalted Butter. I love to use European-style butters when baking, such as Plugra or Kerrygold, for the best flavor and texture. I have also made these cookies with American-style butter with good results.
- Granulated Sugar. You’ll divide the sugar to use in the cookie dough itself, and to roll the dough before baking (similar to making Peanut Butter Blossoms).
- Egg Yolks. For a rich, tender texture.
- Vanilla Extract. For a classic, warm flavor to complement the chocolate.
- Chocolate Hazelnut Spread. Such as Nutella or Nocciolata.
- Fresh Raspberries. If the berries are especially large, consider cutting them in half.
Tips for Making These Cookies
Thumbprints in general are a cinch to make, and you can get the whole family involved in the assembly. To make the characteristic indentation in the center of the cookies, you can either use your knuckle or thumb (hence; “thumbprint cookies”), or the back of a measuring spoon.
I find that a round measuring spoon creates well-defined, uniform wells that are perfect for holding the chocolate hazelnut spread. I like to start with a 1/4 teaspoon measure on the raw dough, and then use the 1/2 teaspoon to gently re-define the wells right after the cookies are baked
Be sure to wait until the cookies are completely cool before filling. You don’t want the chocolate hazelnut spread to melt and run out of the cookie centers.
Making Chocolate Hazelnut Thumbprint Cookies Ahead
Since the raspberries are delicate, it’s best to assemble these cookies within a few hours of serving. That doesn’t mean that you can’t get a jump start and prep them ahead!
You can bake the cookie bases up to 3 days in advance and store them, unfilled, in an airtight container. Before serving, fill them with the chocolate hazelnut spread, top with the raspberries, and you’ll be ready to go.
More of Our Favorite Berry Recipes
- Lemon Cream Mixed Berry Tart
- Homemade Strawberry Soda with Basil
- Strawberry Balsamic Salsa
- Blackberry-Lemon Mint Juleps
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Chocolate Hazelnut Thumbprint Cookies with Raspberries
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour (measured using a spoon-and-level method), 252 grams
- 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter , room temperature (2 sticks)
- 3/4 cups granulated sugar , plus extra for rolling
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup chocolate hazelnut spread
- 36 raspberries
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and 3/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl and mix in egg yolks and vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, scraping the bottom and sides of bowl between each addition. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment or nonstick baking mats.
- Scoop dough into 1-1/2 teaspoon portions (I use a small cookie scoop) and roll between your hands into a ball. Place a few tablespoons of granulated sugar in a shallow dish and roll the dough balls in the sugar to coat.
- Place dough onto the prepared baking pans. Using your finger or the back of a 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon, make an indentation in the center of each cookie.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, until cookies are set. Remove from the oven and use the back of a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon to gently re-press the indentations. Let cookies stand on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
- Use a spoon or a piping bag, fill each indentation with about 1 teaspoon of chocolate hazelnut spread. Top with a raspberry (cut in half if large) and serve.
Notes
Make ahead:
The cookies should be filled with chocolate hazelnut spread and topped with a raspberry the day of serving. You can bake the cookies and store them at room temperature, unfilled, up to 3 days in advance in a tightly-covered container.Nutrition Estimate
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
About our recipes
Please note that our recipes have been developed using the US Customary measurement system and have not been tested for high altitude/elevation cooking and baking.
I love the description of raspberries as sweet-tart. Depending on my mood at the moment, I usually choose one or the other, but honestly sweet-tart is exactly it. Raspberries are my favorite fruit, and I love the variety that these cookies bring to the cookie exchange. What a great way to incorporate a fresh flavor into something that can often taste redundant and/or common. This is definitely my new favorite cookie!
Ohhhh damn. I’ve never had thumbprint cookies away from the ones I grew up with—with walnuts and some kind of berry jam. I’m all over this idea! It’s such a nice change. Christmas cookies are always super nostalgic to me, and so is hazelnut spread (hello, Nutella!), so these are a dream. Not to mention the fact that you can make the cookies in advance. That is so so helpful this time of year.
I’m going to have to seek out these beauty berries. They’re so perfect looking! I have bad luck with raspberries—always ending up with a container full of smushed sad looking ones D:
What a beautiful presentation!! That pretty raspberry on top of the chocolate is the crowning touch. I’ve made lots of thumbprint cookies but I’ve never made the chocolate version — more’s the pity. I’m saving your recipe – I’ve got to try it out including the raspberry on top. And in this Italian household — we always have a jar of Nutella.
What a gorgeous recipe and brilliant spin on a classic! I need to take cookie-baking lessons from you! This is such an interesting use of Nutella…and fresh raspberries together! Who doesn’t love those flavors together?! Gorgeous combo, sitting perfectly on top of the perfect cookie! This recipe should be on everyone’s holiday cookie list.
Beautiful twist on a classic cookie. Love the fresh raspberry on top. Thanks for the tip to do these ahead and just fill last minute. Will definitely help for all the holiday parties and prepping in advance.
Such beautiful and festive cookies! And I love the combination of the hazelnut spread with the berries. It’s the perfect mix of rich, tart, and fresh. Great recipe!
I saw your video for these the other day and they are BEAUTIFUL! Those raspberries are absolute perfection. My 2 year old would love helping us make these too. Although, I don’t think they would last long enough to give as gifts. LOL!
My co-workers loved these! They all said they were unique to the normal thumbprint cookies because of the fresh raspberry. Definitely a great touch – thank you!
Chocolate and fruit together is so perfect, and then you made it into a cookie?! Yes, please! These sound great, and so flavorful! Can’t wait to try these for a cookie exchange coming up!
These little thumbprint cookies look amazing! The raspberries makes them so eye catching. My partner and I love chocolate paired with raspberries so these is going to be a hit in my household! I mean, we’ve got to get our daily servings of fruit a day but no one said they couldn’t be paired with a cookie haha.
Eye-popping is the only way to describe these thumbprint cookies. I’m sitting here, drinking my morning coffee and imagining sinking my teeth into one of these cookies… that “hero” one you’ve got in the first shot. I appreciate your tips on making the “thumbprints” for these cookies, too. I have liliputian hands (ask anyone) and my thumbs have never made a proper indentation in a cookie. The measuring spoon trick is genius and these cookies are a visual stunner. This definitely puts you on Santa’s “nice list”. Happy Holidays!
I made these for my mommy group and everyone loved them! Everyone said how pretty they are and who can resist Nutella on a cookie! A bunch of people asked for the recipe. Thanks for sharing it!
I saw these pop up on my feed the other day and thought WOW! First, the combination of chocolate and raspberry is amazing. Those fresh berries are the perfect topping. Then not only chocolate, but hazelnut spread too!! Totally addictive and perfect for the holiday trays. I know Santa would love to take a few of these back to the North Pole for Mrs. Claus.
These cookies are absolutely stunning! I love the fresh berry on top and raspberries are so wonderful with chocolate. I think these would look beautiful on a dessert tray on the Christmas table.
Chocolate and raspberry go so well together!! Not to mention how beautiful these are! Such a fun presentation for the holiday cookie tray :)