Our Favorite Cookie

Martha Stewart's Chocolate Thumbprint cookies are my family's favorite cookie, by far.   John likes them so much that he hides a bunch of them in the back of the freezer (shhh, don't tell the kids).  The not too sweet shortbread with the buttery, chocolate center is fabulous!  I may or may not eat the leftover chocolate with a spoon out of the bowl...I'm sure Martha does that, too.

And by the way, the recipe says you should pull the cookies out of the 350 degree oven after 10 minutes and use your THUMB to make the "thumbprints".  Well, unless you're like Martha and developed thumbs of steel in a minimum security women's prison, you might want to use the end of a wooden spoon.  

Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies (from Martha Stewart's Cookie Cookbook)

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons light corn syrup

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together 1 stick butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in flour, beginning on low speed and increasing to medium high.
   
2. Roll dough by teaspoonfuls into balls, and place 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven, and press thumb into tops of cookies to make indentations. Return to oven, and bake until light brown on the edges, 7 to 9 minutes more. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
   
3. Combine chocolate, 4 tablespoons butter, and corn syrup in a small heat-proof bowl. Set over a pot of simmering water; stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Allow to cool slightly. When cookies are cool, fill the thumbprints with the chocolate mixture.