Chocolate Pistachio Thumbprints

If I could make my own version of Christmas it would be Christmas tree decorating, listening to Christmas carols, watching Christmas movies, driving around and looking at Christmas lights and decorations and making endless amount of Christmas cookies. I would skip the shopping for gifts, endless wrapping, and card sending.  Do you think my family would mind if I gave cookies as gifts? These are adapted from How Sweet Eats  who posted the cookies over at Delish Dish which is a Better Homes and Garden food blog.

Ingredients:
1 egg
1/2 cup butter softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup finely chopped pistachios
1/2 cup heavy cream
10 ounces dark chocolate

Directions:
Crack egg and separate egg white and egg yolk putting each in separate bowls.  Chill egg white until needed. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds.  Add sugar and beat well.  Beat in egg yolk, milk, and vanilla.  In another bowl stir together the flour, cocoa powder and salt.  Add flour mixture to butter mixture and beat until well combined.  Wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours or until easy to handle.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a cookie sheet.  Shape the dough into 1" balls.

Chop the pistachios in a food processor.  Slightly beat the reserved egg white.  Roll the balls in egg white
and then in the chopped pistachios.

Place the balls 1" apart on the prepared cookie sheet.

Taking your thumb or the back of a melon baller and press to make an indentation.

Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are firm.  If cookie centers puff during baking, repress with your
thumb or melon baller.  While cookies are baking prepare ganache center by microwaving the heavy cream for a minute.  Quickly add chocolate into heavy cream and stir until ganache forms.  Chocolate will be shiny.
Pour into center of lightly cooled cookies.  Let chocolate set for at least an hour or two before serving.

Enjoy!!