astray recipes: Chocolate thumbprint cookies

Categories: Cookies; Chocolate; Hershey's
Yield: 24 Cookies

Measure	Ingredient
½ cup	Butter or margarine, softened (1 stick)
⅔ cup	Sugar
1	Egg, separated
2 tablespoons	Milk
1 teaspoon	Vanilla extract
1 cup	All-purpose flour
⅓ cup	HERSHEY'S cocoa
¼ teaspoon	Salt
1 cup	Chopped nuts
26	HERSHEY'S KISSES chocolates, HERSHEY'S HUGS chocolates, pecan halves or candied cherry halves
½ cup	Powdered sugar
1 tablespoon	Softened butter or margarine
2 teaspoons	Milk
¼ teaspoon	Vanilla extract

VANILLA FILLING

In small mixer bowl, beat butter, sugar, egg yolk, milk and vanilla unti light and fluffy. Stir together flour, cocoa and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Refrigerate dough at least 1 hour or until firm enough to handle. Heat oven to 350'F.

Lightly grease cookie sheet. Shape dough into 1" balls. Beat egg white slightly. Dip each ball into egg white; roll in nuts. Place on prepared cookie sheet. Press thumb gently in center of each cookie.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until set. Meanwhile, prepare VANILLA FILLING.

Remove wrappers from chocolate pieces. Remove cookies from cookie sheet to wire rack; cool 5 minutes. Spoon about ¼ teaspoon filling into each thumbprint. Gently press chocolate piece in center of each cookie. Cool completely.

VANILLA FILLING: In small bowl, combine all ingredients; beat until smooth.

chocolate thumbprint cookies