Sunny Thumbprint Cookies

Press cookies (the simple buttery ones that come from a funny little dough gun) never wowed me.  I love the flavor, but there’s always something missing.  However, add a little dollop of flavorful, fruity jam, and you have one of my favorite simple baked treats.  These particular bites are “sunny” thanks to the addition of some tropical jams I made over the weekend.

(That’s mango on the right and pineapple on the left.)

I started what I thought would be an easy undertaking with this well reviewed recipe from Epicurious.  While I didn’t dislike the result, it wasn’t what I was looking for.  I wanted a thumbprint cookie that was easier than this version that required pulsing almonds in a food processor.  I also wanted something with a light, buttery flavor that highlighted the jam topping.

Leave it to Martha Stewart to come to the rescue.   The second batch I made (using her recipe) was exactly this, and had only six ingredients (including jam and my addition of a bit of almond extract).

Thumbprint cookies are incredibly forgiving.  I made this dough a couple days ago and just got around to baking them.  The finished product was just what I was searching for – buttery with a hint of almond.

I hate to say this, because I was so excited about the mango and pineapple jam, but next time I’ll go back to the tried and true berry jams for this recipe.  Maybe I just need that classic almond/raspberry combination for these to taste the way I imagine them.

It’s probably a good thing – I imagine that most of you out there are far more likely to have raspberry, blackberry or strawberry jam sitting around your pantry than a ripe mango or pineapple.

Sunny Thumbprint Cookies

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

Recipe type: Dessert, Cookies

Ingredients

• 24 tablespoons (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• ½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
• 3¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup jam (raspberry or blackberry are sure-fire choices)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat butter and sugar on high until smooth.
3. Combine egg and almond extract in a small bowl. Add egg mixture to mixer, and beat on high until fully combined.
4. With mixer on low, add flour. Mix until just combined.
5. Roll dough into small balls, using a tablespoon of dough for each ball. Place dough balls on baking sheet, about 1½ inches apart.
6. Using your thumb, gently make a deep indentation into each dough ball. Spoon ¼-1/2 teaspoon of jam into each indentation.
7. Bake until cookies begin to turn golden, 10-12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and serve.

Notes

The dough can be frozen after step 5, above. To do this, form the dough into balls and place closely together on a small cookie sheet. Put the entire cookie sheet in the freezer until the dough is frozen solid. Drop the dough balls into a plastic bag (removing as much air as possible from the bag when sealing) and store in the freezer for up to a month. When you are ready to bake them, take out as many balls of dough as you want to bake and arrange 1½ inches apart on a cookie sheet. Allow to defrost until the dough is still cold but you can easily form the indentations. Proceed with step 6 above. Adapted from Martha Stewart’s “Aunt Maggie’s Jam Thumbprint Cookies,” Everyday Food July/August 2007 .

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