Confetti Thumbprints with a Mountain of Buttercream

How could you not instantly smile? A buttery, soft, vanilla thumbprint cookie, doused in colorful sprinkles and piled sky high with fudge-y chocolate buttercream.  Yes and yes. As far as my views on chocolate buttercream, really any vehicle will do. Not picky about what it is covering. Just deliver it to my mouth, asap.

There is a legendary bakery in Pittsburgh, PA, named Prantl's. Their thumbprint cookies are my inspiration for this recipe. And while we all lived in the outskirts of the city of Pittsburgh, this bakery was a destination for us; for special occasion cakes and cookies. If you have ever been to a wedding in Pittsburgh, you may have experienced the “cookie table.” A phenomenon where, in addition to a wedding cake, there is typically an entire spread of cookies, in every shape/ size/ variety and sometimes other confections, like buckeyes, if you are lucky. Of course, there are thumbprints. It is also common to have “to-go boxes,” so that your guests can pack up cookies to take home with them. Also the main reason my dad attends weddings, haha.  I think we should normalize the cookie table for all wedding menus.

But since we have moved south, it’s a pretty long drive to Prantl's, just for cookies. We have yet to be invited to a wedding down here with a cookie table, too! And so, naturally, I have attempted to bake up something reminiscent at home. The cookie base here is simple and quick to mix up. Play around with different color sprinkles or sanding sugar or nuts. Feel free to change up the buttercream flavor/ color. Customize them for holidays! So many options! Kids and adults flock to these cookies.

Cookie base ingredients:

6 TBS unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/3 cup vegetable shortening (makes it really tender)

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp. Kosher salt

1 whole large egg, at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 TBS golden syrup (optional, but recommended)

2 cups sifted cake flour

Assorted colorful sprinkles for rolling the cookies (these do look awesome with all chocolate sprinkles too, you could try one dozen of each or save for another batch)

Chocolate fudge buttercream:

8 TBS/ one stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp. Kosher salt

1/2 tsp. Pink Himalayan salt

1 tsp. Vanilla extract

1 tsp. Chocolate extract

1/3 cup cacao powder raw (sub unsweetened cocoa powder)

3 TBS heavy cream, room temperature (or adjust as needed for consistency)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350F, arrange a rack in the center of the oven and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, of a stand mixer, or handheld electric mixer, beat the butter, shortening, sugar and salt on medium high with the paddle attachment. Beat until smooth. Scrape down the bowl.

Next add the egg, vanilla, almond extract and golden syrup. Mix well to combine. Scrape around the bowl and make sure the batter is smooth and incorporated. Turn the mixer off. Then sift the cake flour into the mixing bowl and turn the mixer on low. Mix just until combined. Don’t overmix.

Form the dough into small balls, about a heaping tablespoon. You should be able to make about two dozen. Roll the balls in the sprinkles and place them on the baking sheet. They won’t spread much, but give about two inches in between. Use the back of a teaspoon to gently press the “thumbprint” into the cookies. Push in any sprinkles that come loose and don’t worry if there are some small cracks in the dough. Smooth it over as best as you can. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes. 12 is perfect for me. The center will still look soft, but edges should be firm. Cool for 5 minutes on the sheets and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. If any of the thumbprints have puffed up, gently indent again using the teaspoon.

Prepare the buttercream:

Cut the stick of butter into one inch pieces and place in a clean mixing bowl. Using your paddle attachment, beat the butter for one minute, on high speed, until soft and creamy. Add two cups of powdered sugar and mix on medium speed to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and across the bottom. Add the salts and the cacao powder. Mix again on medium just until fully combined. Scrape down the sides. Next, add the extracts and the heavy cream. Beat on low until desired texture is achieved.

Load into a piping bag fitted with the tip of your choice.

Once the cookies have cooled completely, pipe the buttercream on as if you were frosting a cupcake or however you would like it to look! The ratio is your call. THEN, the wait is over, EAT!!