Red Currant Jelly Thumbprint Cookies Food

THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°.
• Mix thoroughly butter, shortening, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla.
• Work in flour and salt until dough holds together.
• Shape dough by teaspoonfuls into 1-inch balls.
• Beat egg white slightly.
• Dip each dough ball into egg white; roll in nuts.
• Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet; press thumb deeply in center of each.
• Bake about 10 minutes or until light brown.
• Immediately remove from baking sheet.
• Cool; fill thumbprint with jelly.
• *Ifusing self-rising flour, omit salt.
• Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies: Substitute ½ cup granulated sugar for ¼ cup brown sugar; add 1 ounce melted unsweetened chocolate (cool) with the vanilla.

RED CURRANT JELLY THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Steps:

• In large bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until creamy.
• Separate eggs.
• Place whites in a small bowl, lightly beat; set aside.
• Add egg yolks and vanilla to butter mixture.
• Beat well.
• In another bowl, stir together flour and salt.
• Gradually add flour & salt to butter mixture, Blending thoroughly.
• With your hands, roll dough into balls about 1-inch diameter.
• Dip each ball in eggs whites, then roll in finely chopped walnuts to coat.
• Place on greased baking sheets,spacing 1 inch apart.
• With your thumb or the tip of a spoon (I use my thumb), make an indentation inthe center of each ball.
• Neatly fill each indentation with 1/4 teaspoon jelly or jam.
• (If using icing fill each cookie after baking.) Bake in a 375° oven for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Let cool on baking sheets for about 1 minute, then transfer to rack and let cool completely.
• This is when I fill each with icing.

BUTTER AND JAM THUMBPRINTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.
• In another bowl, whip the butter and the sugar with a hand-held mixer until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla until just combined. Slowly beat in the dry ingredients in 2 additions, mixing just until incorporated.
• Scoop the dough into 1-inch balls with a cookie or ice cream scoop and roll in sugar. Place about 2-inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Press a thumbprint into the center of each ball, about 1/2-inch deep. Fill each indentation with about 3/4 teaspoon jam.
• Bake cookies until the edges are golden, about 15 minutes. (For even color, rotate the pans from top to bottom about halfway through baking.) Cool cookies on the baking sheets. Serve.
• Store cookies in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days.

THUMBPRINTS WITH DULCE DE LECHE, NUTELLA OR JAM

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the hazelnuts or pecans out on a small baking sheet and cook in oven, shaking several times, until toasted, 10 to 12 minutes. If using hazelnuts, transfer to a bowl to cool, cover with a folded dish towel, then rub off the skins. (No need to toast the pistachios.)
• Once cooled, transfer the nuts to a food processor, preferably a mini one. Add 2 teaspoons flour and pulse just until nuts are finely ground, being careful not to overprocess.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping bowl as needed. Add egg yolks and vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until well combined, about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl a few times as needed.
• Add 1/2 cup ground nuts, the salt and the remaining 2 1/4 cups flour; beat on low speed just until combined, then increase speed and beat until dough starts to clump together. Scrape the bowl and fold a few times to make sure everything is well mixed. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, flatten into a disk, and chill until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Pinch off small pieces of dough the size of a rounded tablespoon (about 20 grams each) and roll the top half of each one in the remaining ground nuts. Place a few inches apart on parchment- or silicone mat-lined baking sheets. Chill in the freezer until firm, about 10 minutes.
• Bake for 8 minutes, remove from oven and make a thumbprint in each cookie. Bake until golden brown on the bottom, and nuts are looking toasty but not burned, 6 to 8 minutes longer. Let cool a few minutes on the baking sheets and transfer to wire racks to cool further. While the cookies are still a little warm, fill each one with about 1/2 teaspoon of filling, and cool completely. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

SWEET & NUTTY THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350*.
• Cream sugar, shortening, butter, vanilla and egg yolk.
• Stir in flour and salt until dough holds together.
• Shape into 1 inch balls.
• Beat egg white slightly.
• Dip each cookie ball in the egg white; roll in the nuts.
• Place 1 inch apart on cookie sheet.
• Press thumb deeply in center of each.
• Bake until light brown, about 8-10 minutes.
• Remove from cookie sheet, cool.
• Fill thumbprints with jelly.

RED CURRANT JELLY

Steps:

• Place the currants into a large pot, and crush with a potato masher or berry crusher if you have one. Pour in 1 cup of water, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Strain the fruit through a jelly cloth or cheese cloth, and measure out 5 cups of the juice.
• Pour the juice into a large saucepan, and stir in the sugar. Bring to a rapid boil over high heat, and stir in the liquid pectin immediately. Return to a full rolling boil, and allow to boil for 30 seconds.
• Remove from heat and skim off foam from the top. Ladle or pour into sterile 1/2 pint jars, filling to within 1/2 inch of the top. Wipe the rims with a clean damp cloth. Cover with new sterile lids and rings. Process covered in a bath of simmering water for 10 minutes or the time recommended by your local extension for your area.

THUMBPRINT COOKIES (SAVORY CHEDDAR)

Steps:

• In food processor, pulse together Cheddar and Parmesan cheeses and butter until smooth.
• Add egg yolk and pepper; pulse until blended.
• Add flour; pulse just until soft dough forms.
• Place pecans on plate.
• Place 1 cup water in bowl.
• With hands, roll scant tablespoonfuls of dough into 1-inch balls.
• Wet balls with water; roll in nuts to coat pressing nuts lightly into dough ball.
• Place on ungreased baking sheet.
• With thumb or finger, make indentation in center of each.
• Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
• Bake in center of 350°F oven for about 15 minutes or until firm outside and lightly golden.
• Let cool on baking sheet.
• (Can be prepared to this point and frozen in layers separated by waxed paper in rigid airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Bake in 350°F oven for about 3 minutes to recrisp).
• Fill indentations with hot pepper jelly.

RED CURRANT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 f.
• Grease a baking sheet.
• Sift flour onto a pastry board and make a well in the centre.
• Add sugar, vanilla sugar and egg yolks to well.
• Mix a small amount of flour into the ingredients in the well to make a thick paste.
• Cut cold butter into small pieces over the flour mixture.
• Working quickly and starting from the centre, work all the ingredients together to make a smooth dough.
• Chill dough for 1/2 hour.
• Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a 3mm (1/8 ") thickness.
• Cut into 5 cm (2 ") rounds.
• Cut 3 small holes using a floured thimble, in half of the cut out rounds, or use a smaller cookie cutter to cut a hole in the centre (you can use linzer cookie cutters if you have them).
• Place on prepared baking and bake on middle rack of oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown.
• Cool cookies.
• Spread jam on the solid rounds and cover with the cut out rounds.
• Dust with the icing sugar while the cookies are still warm (easiest way is to dip cut out cookie into icing sugar before placing on top of jam layer.

CURRANT JELLY

Steps:

• Using a potato masher or an immersion blender, crush currants in a large Dutch oven.
• Add water& bring to a boil, stirring occasionally; reduce heat, cover& simmer until currents are softened& deflated, about 10 minutes.
• Wet a jelly bag (I use cheesecloth), wring out& suspend on a frame over a large measuring cup or bowl.
• Fill with currants& liquid; let drip, pressing bag lightly, until juice measures 6 1/2 cups, about 2 1/2 hours.
• Stirring constantly, bring juice& pectin to a boil in a large, clean pot.
• Add sugar, bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constsntly with a wooden spoon; Boil vigorously, stirring, for a minute.
• Remove from heat, skim off foam& pour into hot canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace.
• Wipe rims (if necessary), cover with prepared lids& screw on bands fingertip tight.
• Boil in boiling water canner for 10 minutes.