Pink Velvet Thumbprint Cookies with Cream Cheese
Pink Velvet Thumbprint Cookies with Cream Cheese will add a pop of pink to your holiday dessert platter. Soft and chewy with a creamy cheesecake filling, these eye-catching cookies will be the hit of your Christmas party.
Ingredients
Pink Velvet Thumbprint Cookies
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1/2 tsp vanilla pure
- 1/8 tsp pink gel food coloring
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt fine
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour unbleached
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar for rolling cookies
Cream Cheese Filling
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk at room temperature
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 pinch sea salt fine
- 1/4 tsp vanilla pure
Instructions
Pink Velvet Thumbprint Cookies
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Cream butter and both sugars with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add egg, beating until combined.
- Add vanilla and gel food coloring then beat until evenly incorporated. Note: If a more intense shade of pink is desired, add food coloring one drop at a time stirring after each addition. Do not mix in food coloring after this step or you risk the chance of overmixing the batter.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together baking soda, salt and flour.
- Gradually add flour mixture to wet ingredients. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until just incorporated.
- Use a cookie scoop to form dough into evenly-sized balls then roll balls in granulated sugar until evenly coated. Note: My cookie scoop had a 4 teaspoon/1.3 Tablespoon capacity.
- Place cookie balls on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Using your thumb or the back of a 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon, make an indent in the top of each cookie ball.
- Place cookies in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes. While cookies are chilling, prepare cream cheese filling.
Cream Cheese Filling
- Combine all cream cheese filling ingredients in a medium bowl then beat with an electric mixer until smooth and lump free. Set aside.
Baking and Assembly
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Space cookies 1.5-inches apart on baking sheet then bake for 10 minutes. Remove baking sheet from the oven and deepen the thumbprint indents.
- Fill the indent of cookie with 1 teaspoon of cream cheese filling. Return cookies to the oven and bake for 12 minutes until filling is firm.
- Remove cookies from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a baking rack to cool completely. If desired, top cheesecake filling with decorative sprinkles.
- Cookies will keep up to 3 days in the refrigerator if stored between layers of parchment paper in an airtight container. Bring to room temperature before serving.