Chocolate Rolo Thumbprint Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why do my thumbprint cookies spread so much? ›

If your butter is under mixed, it won't have the air pockets to hold it's shape. If it's over-mixed, the air pockets decrease in size and are unable to hold their shape in the oven—causing your cookies to spread. It's best to cream butter and sugar on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes.

Do not press too hard or the cookie will fall apart. Fill each cookie with 1/2 teaspoon of jam. Bake, then let cool: Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until slightly firm.

To help avoid cracking when making the indentations in the dough balls: Make sure the dough balls are very smooth on the outside. Press into the dough very gently/slowly.

Add a Slice of Bread to the Container

You might find it surprising, but adding a slice of bread to your cookie container can help keep the cookies moist for a while!

When cookies turn out underbaked, they can still be salvaged. Quickly return them to the oven if they're fresh, or reheat at a lower temperature if they've cooled. For cookies too soft to crisp, repurpose them in desserts like parfaits or trifles. These strategies ensure no batch of cookies is wasted.

It is important that you don't chill this dough. The butter solidifies and it will make the dough crack and fall apart when shaped and pressed with your thumb. Shape and bake immediately after mixing, or if you accidentally chilled the dough, allow it to warm up to room temperature before continuing.

Line the bottom and sides of a square or rectangular airtight tin with corrugated paper. Fold short lengths in half for dividers. Envelop your cookies in tissue paper, buffer them with corrugated paper tubes, or protect them using accordion-folds of paper. You can also tie a stack of cookies with baker's twine.

You can use a fork or a dough docker to prick small holes all over the surface of the dough. By venting the steam, docking keeps the dough from billowing or heaving as it bakes. It's an important step for crisp cookies or that are baked all in a single sheet and not cut up until they come out of the oven.

Chilling Cookie Dough

If the cookie dough you are working with is on the wetter side or sticky, I always recommend chilling for 30 minutes to 2 hours. The colder the dough is, the less the cookies are going to spread as they are baked in the oven.

If your cookies repeatedly turn out flat, no matter the recipe, chances are your oven is too hot. Here's what's happening. The butter melts super quickly in a too-hot oven before the other ingredients have firmed up into a cookie structure. Therefore, as the butter spreads so does the whole liquidy cookie.

Do thumbprint cookies mail well? ›

Yes. Firm and sturdy cookies are the best type of cookies to ship, so our Thumbprint Cookies handle the trip well.

If your cookies repeatedly turn out flat, no matter the recipe, chances are your oven is too hot. Here's what's happening. The butter melts super quickly in a too-hot oven before the other ingredients have firmed up into a cookie structure. Therefore, as the butter spreads so does the whole liquidy cookie.

One of the most common causes of cookie spread is that the fat is too warm. Make sure to chill your dough thoroughly if the recipe calls for it. If you're forming dough balls and the dough is too sticky to work with, this is a sign that your dough may be too warm. Try chilling the dough for at least 15 minutes!

A spread with less fat, diet "margarines" or spreads in tubs contain have too much water. The water creates steam, causing the cookies to puff. Low protein flours, such as cake flour, absorb less water, leaving excess water to create steam, which causes the cookies to puff.