Pineapple Thumbprints Food

PINEAPPLE-COCONUT THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Prepare dough from Easy Cut-Out Cookies recipe.
• Roll into 40 balls, using about 1 Tbsp. dough for each ball. Roll, 1 at a time, in coconut until evenly coated on all sides with coconut.
• Place, 1 inch apart, on baking sheets sprayed with cooking spray. Use thumb to indent centers; fill with preserves, adding about 1/4 tsp. preserves to each indentation.
• Bake 13 to 15 min. or until coconut is lightly toasted. Cool 3 min. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

PINE NUT-CHERRY THUMBPRINTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Break up the almond paste and put it in a large bowl. Add the confectioners' sugar, lemon zest and salt. Beat with a mixer on medium speed until the mixture looks like fine crumbs, about 1 minute. Increase the mixer speed to medium high and beat in the egg white until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the flour until just combined.
• Scoop tablespoon-size balls of dough and roll in the pine nuts to coat. Arrange 1 inch apart on the prepared pan. Press a thin wooden spoon handle or chopstick into each ball to make a deep indentation in the center.
• Bake until the cookies are set around the edges but still soft in the center, 22 to 26 minutes. Re-indent the cookies with the back of a small measuring spoon while still warm. Fill with the cherry jam. Let the cookies cool completely on the pans.

SIOBHAN'S THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Steps:

• Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and a second rack in the lower third then preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar and beat on medium speed, scraping the bowl occasionally, until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated, about 1 minute. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture, and stir until just combined. Shape the dough into a disc, wrap it in plastic, and chill at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
• Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and arrange on baking sheets, leaving about 3 inches between cookies. Using your thumb or the round end of a small pestle, make a well in the center of each cookie. Using a teaspoon, fill each well with jam, being careful not to overfill the wells. Bake, switching the cookies between the upper and lower racks about halfway through baking, until golden, about 15 minutes. Cool the cookies on baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Continue baking cookies on cooled baking sheets. DO AHEAD: The cookies can be baked ahead and stored, in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 3 days.

THUMBPRINTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Beat the butter, granulated sugar and vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add half of the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients. Knead a few times by hand to bring the dough together.
• Roll teaspoonfuls of dough into balls and place about 1/2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Make an indentation in the center of each ball with a small measuring spoon or the back of a pen. Fill each indentation with jam (a scant 1/8 teaspoon).
• Bake until the edges of the cookies are golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

PEANUT BUTTER THUMBPRINTS

Steps:

• HEAT oven to 375 degrees F.
• COMBINE brown sugar, peanut butter, shortening, milk and vanilla in bowl of electric mixer; beat at medium speed until well blended. Beat in egg just until blended.
• COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Beat into peanut butter mixture at low speed just until blended.
• SHAPE dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
• BAKE 6 minutes. Immediately press centers of cookies with back of measuring teaspoon. Bake 3 minutes longer or until cookies are set and just beginning to brown. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet.
• SPOON preserves into center of each cookie. Place on cooling rack to cool completely.

PUMPKIN THUMBPRINTS

Steps:

• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; mist with cooking spray.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Whisk the brown sugar, pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, egg and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in a large bowl; add the flour mixture and gently stir with a wooden spoon until just incorporated.
• Drop tablespoonfuls of dough 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake 6 minutes, then remove from the oven and make an indentation in the center of each cookie with the back of a teaspoon. Return to the oven, switching the position of the pans, and bake until set, 4 to 6 more minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.
• Make the filling: Beat the cream cheese and butter in a bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth. Add the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and a pinch of salt; beat until incorporated. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip; pipe into the indentations. Dust with cinnamon.

MARASCHINO CHERRY THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat baking sheets with baking spray.
• Stir flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.
• Beat sugar and butter together in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs; beat well. Stir in milk and vanilla extract. Add flour mixture and mix well.
• Shape dough into level tablespoon-sized balls. Roll in corn flakes. Place on the prepared baking sheets. Make a shallow indention in the tops of the cookies with your thumb; top each cookie with a halved cherry.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.