Gelt Thumbprints with Dark Chocolate, Olive Oil, and Orange
By Jessica RudolphPublished on December 3, 2025
Time
1 hour
Yield
Makes 30 cookies
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Gelt are foil-wrapped chocolate coins; they are often sold in small mesh bags in grocery stores during the Hanukkah season, or you can find them online. We like the festive color and pleasant crunch of nonpareils here, but you can substitute granulated sugar, if preferred.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread ⅔ cup blue and white nonpareils in shallow dish; set aside.
- Whisk 2¼ cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¾ teaspoon baking soda together in bowl. Whisk ¾ cup oil, 1 cup packed brown sugar, and ½ cup granulated sugar in second bowl until well combined, about 30 seconds. Whisk 2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla, and 1 teaspoon orange zest into sugar mixture until creamy and smooth, about 30 seconds. Stir in half of flour mixture with silicone spatula or wooden spoon. Stir in 8 ounces finely chopped bittersweet chocolate and remaining flour mixture until no dry flour remains.
- Using #40 scoop, scoop dough into 30 portions, about 1½ tablespoons each; divide any remaining dough among portions. Using your hands, roll portions into balls. Drop balls into nonpareils and roll to coat, pressing to adhere. Evenly space balls on prepared sheets (15 per sheet). Using bottom of drinking glass, flatten dough balls to ¾-inch thickness.
- Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until edges are just set and centers are puffed but still soft, 6 to 7 minutes. (Cookies will seem underdone but will continue to set as they cool.) Transfer sheets to wire rack and, working quickly, firmly press 1 gelt piece onto center of each cookie. Let cookies cool on sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire rack and let cool completely. Serve. (Cookies will be cool enough to eat after about 30 minutes, but gelt will take about 2 hours to set completely. Cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 4 days; gelt pieces may develop harmless waxy sheen over time.)
Time
1 hourYield
Makes 30 cookiesIngredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
We were after a festive Hanukkah-inspired cookie to add to our holiday cookie platter. We made an easy, stir-together dough, choosing to use extra-virgin olive oil as our fat; the oil added a delicious nutty, slightly bitter flavor to the cookie and also pays homage to the Hanukkah tradition of frying foods in oil. We added lots of chopped dark chocolate and some orange zest, which both played beautifully off the vegetal olive oil for a sophisticated yet crowd-pleasing cookie. We rolled balls of dough in festive blue and white nonpareils, baked them hot and fast to set the outside while maintaining a fudgy interior, and then pressed a piece of gelt (chocolate coins) onto each cookie for a thumbprint-like look.
Before You Begin
Gelt are foil-wrapped chocolate coins; they are often sold in small mesh bags in grocery stores during the Hanukkah season, or you can find them online. We like the festive color and pleasant crunch of nonpareils here, but you can substitute granulated sugar, if preferred.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread ⅔ cup blue and white nonpareils in shallow dish; set aside.
- Whisk 2¼ cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¾ teaspoon baking soda together in bowl. Whisk ¾ cup oil, 1 cup packed brown sugar, and ½ cup granulated sugar in second bowl until well combined, about 30 seconds. Whisk 2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla, and 1 teaspoon orange zest into sugar mixture until creamy and smooth, about 30 seconds. Stir in half of flour mixture with silicone spatula or wooden spoon. Stir in 8 ounces finely chopped bittersweet chocolate and remaining flour mixture until no dry flour remains.
- Using #40 scoop, scoop dough into 30 portions, about 1½ tablespoons each; divide any remaining dough among portions. Using your hands, roll portions into balls. Drop balls into nonpareils and roll to coat, pressing to adhere. Evenly space balls on prepared sheets (15 per sheet). Using bottom of drinking glass, flatten dough balls to ¾-inch thickness.
- Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until edges are just set and centers are puffed but still soft, 6 to 7 minutes. (Cookies will seem underdone but will continue to set as they cool.) Transfer sheets to wire rack and, working quickly, firmly press 1 gelt piece onto center of each cookie. Let cookies cool on sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire rack and let cool completely. Serve. (Cookies will be cool enough to eat after about 30 minutes, but gelt will take about 2 hours to set completely. Cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 4 days; gelt pieces may develop harmless waxy sheen over time.)
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