Thumbprint Cookies Recipe

Pastry chef Claudia Fleming is known for understated elegance even when making simple cookies. Here, the base cookie borrows from classic European nut cookies — short, sandy, and impossibly buttery — but made even more fragrant with finely chopped toasted walnuts. They bake up light and delicate, with just enough structure to cradle the silky ganache.

The filling is where these cookies transcend expectation. White chocolate and heavy cream form a classic ganache, but here the cream is steeped with espresso grounds, infusing it with deep coffee aroma and just the right amount of bitterness to temper the sweetness of the chocolate. Once chilled, the ganache is whipped until airy and spoonable, creating a texture that feels luxurious without being heavy. It pipes beautifully into the warm, nutty centers of the cookies and sets into a plush, truffle-like bite.

Because the dough and ganache both need time to chill, the recipe is naturally make-ahead friendly. These cookies are perfect for holiday trays, cookie boxes, or any occasion that calls for something elegant but doable. If you have a kitchen scale, this is a great moment to use it as accurate measurements ensure the cookies bake up perfectly tender rather than dry. For coffee lovers and cookie traditionalists alike, this recipe offers a small, irresistible luxury.

Ground espresso versus instant coffee

Instant coffee is brewed coffee that has been dehydrated into granules, designed to dissolve quickly in liquid with no steeping required. Its flavor is generally milder and less complex because the brewing has already occurred. Ground espresso beans, however, are simply finely ground roasted coffee meant to be extracted under pressure, delivering richer oils, deeper aroma, and more bitterness. When used in recipes, espresso grounds impart stronger, more nuanced coffee flavor than instant coffee can provide.

Why so much cornstarch?

Cornstarch is key to the delicate, melt-in-your-mouth texture of these cookies. It lowers the overall protein content of the dough, reducing gluten formation so the cookies stay exceptionally tender rather than chewy. Cornstarch also absorbs moisture and interacts with the butter to create a fine, sandy crumb similar to shortbread. In this recipe’s high proportion, it’s what gives the cookies their signature lightness and ensures they bake up soft, crumbly, and perfectly suited to holding the creamy ganache.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

• Weighing ingredients ensures the cookies stay tender, not dry.
• Very finely chopping the nuts prevents cracking and makes the cookies easier to shape.
• A piping tip creates the cleanest ganache swirls, but a snipped bag works too.