The first time I made a cookie similar to this was while I was on a project and living in a hotel room. I was baking for the crew almost every weekend, but since I was in a hotel and cooking in a toaster oven with only a few tools, I tried to use shortcuts where I could. I was looking for ways to easily dress up a cookie mix when I stumbled upon a recipe for ginger-lime sugar cookies and decided that could work. I just mixed up the mix and added lime zest and fresh ginger. I stirred in some white chocolate chips and baked them up. Everyone went crazy for them!
I fell in love with the ginger-lime combination at that point, and I have made similar cookies many times since. I wanted to dress them up a little for you, though, so I turned them into thumbprint cookies! These are soft, chewy cookies that actually stay soft and chewy for up to a week. For the filling, I use vanilla almond bark because I prefer it over actual white chocolate. You can use whichever you prefer or have on hand. These have a tropical vibe to them, so I think a sprinkle of toasted coconut or toasted macadamia nuts would be perfect. You could either sprinkle some on top of the ganache before it sets, or go all out and roll the cookie dough in them before baking!
| Servings |
dozen
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- 6 tablespoons butter
- 2 ounces cream cheese cut into small pieces
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons grated lime zest
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 egg
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces vanilla almond bark or white chocolate
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream or half and half
Ingredients
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- Melt butter.
- While still warm, add cubed cream cheese, sugar, and oil. Whisk until combined and cream cheese is mostly melted.
- Add lime, ginger, and egg and mix well.
- Stir in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until a smooth dough is formed.
- Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes or up to several hours.
- Scoop dough, using a 1 1/2 tablespoon scoop, onto a parchment or silicone lined cookie sheet.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly golden brown around the edges.
- As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, press an indentation in the middle with a small (1/2 teaspoon) measuring spoon.
- Cool 5 minutes, then move to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Once cookies are baked, make the ganache by combining almond bark with heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl.
- Microwave 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each. Continue until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is smooth.
- Spoon, or pipe with a piping or plastic bag, the ganache into the indents in the cookies. Let set until firm, about 1 hour.
- Sprinkle with additional lime zest if desired.
- Sprinkle with toasted coconut or toasted, chopped macadamia nuts before the ganache sets.
- Roll the cookie dough in coconut or chopped macadamia nuts before baking.