Red Velvet Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies

View the video version here.

Prep: 15 minutes plus freezing
Bake: 10 minutes 
Serves: 26 

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups Food Club All-Purpose Flour
• 1/4 cup Food Club Unsweetened Baking Cocoa
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Food Club Sweet Cream Unsalted Butter, softened
• 2/3 cup Food Club Granulated Sugar
• 1 Fresh Harvest Egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon Food Club Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 (8-ounce) package Food Club Cream Cheese, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon green food coloring

Directions

1. Adjust two oven racks to top and bottom positions. Preheat oven to 350°. Line two rimmed baking pans with parchment paper. In medium bowl, whisk flour and cocoa powder. 
2. In large bowl, with mixer on medium-high speed, beat 1 cup butter and granulated sugar 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk, red food coloring and vanilla extract; beat 1 minute or until incorporated. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture and beat 1 minute or until incorporated, scraping down bowl occasionally. 
3. Roll dough into 26 (1 1/2-inch) balls; place 2 inches apart on prepared pans. Press thumb into center of each ball to make indentation, making sure not to press all the way through; freeze 15 minutes. 
4. Bake 10 minutes or until bottoms of cookies are slightly browned, rotating pans between upper and lower racks halfway through baking. Cool cookies 10 minutes on pans, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
5. In medium bowl, with mixer on medium-low speed, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, green food coloring and remaining 2 tablespoons butter 2 minutes or until incorporated. Transfer cream cheese mixture to small zip-top plastic bag and snip bottom corner with kitchen scissors: pipe into indentations in cookies. Makes 26 cookies. 

Chef Tips:

• If indentations in cookies rise too much during baking, gently press back down with back of measuring teaspoon while cookies are still warm.