Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies with Chambord-Mascarpone Filling

The cookies are flavorful and crunchy on the outside. The filling is creamy, sweet, and full of berry flavor. The chocolate topping is deep and rich and perfectly complements the cookies. They are ideal to serve to company because they have the right combination of fancy-schmancy and homemade rustic-ness about them.

The combination of Chambord and mascarpone is a winner. The Chambord gives the filling a rich berry flavor. You can substitute any berry liqueur or brandy. I bet cherry brandy or creme de cassis would be great here. Or you can leave out the alcohol altogether and add a teaspoon of raspberry extract. Mascarpone is awesome – creamy and fresh and yummy. If you can’t find any at your local grocery store, you can actually make your own (recipe follows). You could probably also substitute cream cheese, but I haven’t tried that so I don’t know how it would taste.

But you have to make them! I’ve never had anything like these cookies before. The flavor combination is unbelievable.

From: Kathy Nasano

Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies with Chambord-Mascarpone Filling

Makes 28-32 cookies

Cookies:

1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, separated
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder (Good quality brand like Valhrona or Scharffen Berger. Make sure it’s regular, not Dutch process)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar, for coating the cookies

Filling:

4 ounces mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons Chambord black raspberry liqueur (or another type of berry liquer or brandy)
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Garnish:

4 ounces of semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate

1. In a medium bowl, beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolk, milk and vanilla.
2. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cocoa and salt. While beating butter mixture, add dry ingredients in two batches. Blend until incorporated.
3. Chill dough in refrigerator until firm, about an hour. I left it in overnight and it was fine to roll out the next day.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F.
5. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Dip each ball into beaten egg white, then in granulated sugar. Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Press thumb into center of each cookie. (My mom suggests using the bottom of a teaspoon measuring spoon instead of your thumb to get a pretty, even circle.) Make sure to leave 2-3″ of space between each cookie because they will s-p-r-e-a-d.
6. Bake 10-12 minutes or until set. The egg white/sugar mix will have formed  a nice crust on the cookies. Let cool on sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling.
7. Mix mascarpone, Chambord and powdered sugar in a small bowl. I would sift the powdered sugar next time because my mix was a little lumpy. Place a teaspoon of filling in the center of each cookie.
8. Melt chocolate in the microwave and use an icing bag or Ziploc bag to drizzle some on each cookie.

Notes About This Cookie:

My process for melting and drizzling chocolate goes like this: Put a Ziploc bag over a cup, making sure one corner of the bag is inside the cup.

Next, melt the chocolate and spoon it into the corner of the bag sitting in the cup.

Finally, pull the ends of the bag up off the cup, push as much air as possible out of the bag, twist and seal it. Snip off a teeny tiny piece of the edge and pipe the chocolate out. Work quickly since the chocolate will start to set and will clog up your teeny tiny cut.

Here’s how I set up my workstation when rolling out the cookies: Dough, egg white, sugar, baking sheet. It helps to have everything in place before taking the dough out of the fridge.

It’s a little difficult to roll the sugar onto the cookies. The best advice I can give is to let as much of the egg white drip off as possible before rolling in the sugar.

Leave plenty of space between the cookies. They will spread!

They will spread A LOT. Also, they look really ugly here, but don’t worry! The finished product will cover up the imperfections.

The filling only consists of three ingredients, but they are heavenly together.

When combined, they become a gorgeous shade of very pale purple. Did I mention the filling tastes absolutely divine? Creamy, dreamy, and bursting with berry flavor.

Even after I add the filling, the cookies look like a mess. It must be the final step of zig-zagging the melted chocolate on top that makes everything come together.

They’re tasty without the chocolate on top, but why not go all the way? It makes them look irresistible and decadent. Nobody can resist these cookies. I promise.

Recipe Source: http://jerseycook.wordpress.com/2010/02/04/chocolate-thumbprint-cookies-with-chambord-mascarpone-filling-recipe/

Mascarpone Cheese - Make Your Own - Substitute

Ingredients:

• 1 quart whipping cream (not ultra pasteurized)
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

1.  CHOOSE A STAINLESS STEEL BOWL that fits inside a large saucepan without touching the bottom of the pan. Add water to the pan and place the bowl in the pan so that the bowl touches the surface of the water but still sits firmly on the rim of the pan. Remove the bowl.
2. Place the pan on medium heat, and bring the water to a boil. Place the cream in the bowl and place over the boiling water; Adjust the heat under the pan to medium and heat the cream, checking the temperature often with an instant-read thermometer, to 190F; stir occasionally.
3. Stir in the vinegar, continuing to stir gently until the cream begins to curdle. Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and allow the curds to firm up for 10 minutes.
4. Line a strainer or colander with dampened cheesecloth, napkin, or coffee filters. Set the strainer or colander over a bowl and carefully spoon the curds into the strainer. Allow the mascarpone to cool to room temperature.
5. Cover the strainer tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 24 hours to allow the cheese to finish draining and become firm. Store in the refrigerator in a tightly covered container. Use the mascarpone within 3-or-4 days.

Recipe Source: http://www.food.com/recipe/mascarpone-cheese-make-your-own-substitute-114797