Thumbprint Cookies

These buttery little cookies are traditionally Christmas cookies - and I always make them in December - but who says cookies have to be confined to Christmas? If you insist on keeping your seasonal foods in order, just call this Christmas in July.

I remember my sister and I making these when we were quite young, with my mother supervising. We loved pressing our thumbs into the small, warm cookies to make a space for the jam. I always loved the ones rolled in nuts, but my sister, who used to tell strangers that she had a nut allergy (not true!) so they wouldn't serve her any, always made sure we left some plain. Either way, they are delicious both for cold winter nights and warm summer afternoons, maybe with a cup of tea or iced coffee.

I also like that these cookies aren't too sweet, so they show off the star ingredient, the jam (jelly, preserves, whatever you like to call it). Over the years, we've tried strawberry, blueberry, apricot, peach, apple butter, cherry butter, and orange marmalade, and they've all turned out great, so I think it's safe to say that you can pick whichever fruit you like best. 


Okay, let's get baking!

First, preheat your oven to 350 and line some baking sheets with parchment paper. This step is very important, because these babies stick like nobody's business.

Next, beat together 1 stick of butter and 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Add an egg yolk (save the white, you'll need it later) and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix all that stuff up really well, until it's fluffy and well combined. Then sift in a cup of flour and 1/8 of a teaspoon of salt - a pinch - and combine.

That's it for the dough. It will look stiff, like in the above picture, which is good, because you need to be able to mold it into spheres. If it seems too soft, you can stick it in the refrigerator for a little bit. Then, use your hands to shape it into balls about 1 inch across. Like large marbles, or a little bigger.

Take the egg white that you saved and beat it with a fork, just until it froths a little bit. Dip your dough balls into the egg white and make sure each one is completely covered. This gives the cookies a pretty shine, and also helps hold the nuts on, should you choose to use them.

Chop about 1/2 cup of nuts into small pieces - pecans, walnuts, whatever you like best - and roll the cookies so that the nuts cover them totally. If you don't want to use nuts, just place the egg-white-soaked dough right onto the parchment. Then, put them in the oven and bake for 8 minutes.

While they are baking, get out your jam. You'll use about 1/2 cup total, but you can split that up if you want to make cookies of two or three different flavors.

Take your half-baked beauties out and quickly (and carefully) press your thumb into the middle of each to leave an indentation. Be sure not to press too hard, or you will break all the way through the cookie.

Fill up your thumbprints with jam and pop them back into the oven for about 5 or 6 minutes.

Apricot and Cherry Butter Thumbprints, with chopped pecans

These are bite-sized, buttery, sweet-but-not-too-sweet (which is a legitimate flavor, I'll have you know), and very pretty to boot. At your next summer garden party, bring out a tray of these colorful and delicious cookies, and everyone will be dying for the recipe!

Apple Butter Thumbprints, sans nuts

Thumbprint Cookies

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1 egg, white and yolk separated
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2-1 cup chopped nuts, optional
1/2 cup jam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cream together butter and brown sugar. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and mix well until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Add flour and salt and mix well. If the dough is too soft to mold, chill in the refrigerator for up to 30 minutes.

Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Dip in slightly beaten egg white and then into chopped nuts, if desired. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and gently press thumb into the center of each cookie to make a depression. Fill with jam and return to oven for 5 or 6 minutes or until cookies are golden brown. Cool on a raised rack.