Thumb Print Cookies The Ultimate Best Food

THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg yolk and vanilla; beat well. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and salt; add to butter mixture, beating on low until combined.
• Combine ground almonds with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl. Form dough into 1-inch balls, and dip in beaten egg white, then in almond-and-sugar mixture. Make a deep indentation in the center of each ball with your finger or a wooden spoon. Place 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.
• Bake 10 minutes, remove from oven, and press down the centers again. Rotate sheets, and bake until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes more. Transfer sheets to a wire rack to cool slightly. Fill center of each cookie with about 1 teaspoon jam. Let cool completely. Thumbprints can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container, between parchment, up to 1 day (or 3 days, if not filled with jam).

PERFECT THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Mix butter and powdered sugar together with a rubber spatula until creamy. Add vanilla extract, almond extract, salt, and egg yolk. Mix with the spatula. Add flour and blend until just combined.
• Use a sorbet scoop to portion dough into 1/2-ounce (1-tablespoon) balls. Roll balls in a plate of white sugar to coat; roll again between your palms. Place several inches apart on a silicone-lined baking sheet. Flatten balls lightly with your fingers.
• To make shortbread cookies with a little jam, poke a well into each cookie using the end of a thick wooden spoon dusted with powdered sugar or using one of your fingers. Fill cookies with fruit jam. Tap baking sheet against the counter to let jam settle.
• Bake in the preheated oven until tops are barely blonde and bottoms are slightly golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack before icing.
• Meanwhile, mix powdered sugar with a little milk until you have a consistency that will hold its shape when piped. Pipe icing on top of cookies in a zigzag pattern. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.
• For a more jam-forward cookie, press your thumb into the cookies to make large, shallow indentations. Spoon in jam. Tap baking sheet against the counter.
• Bake until not quite golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let rest on pan for 5 minutes before transferring a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar.

CLASSIC THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Steps:

• HEAT oven to 350 degrees F. Adjust rack to middle position. Coat two cookie sheets lightly with no-stick cooking spray.
• BEAT brown sugar and shortening in medium bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed for 2 minutes or until fluffy. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add egg yolks, water, vanilla and salt. Beat until well combined. Add flour on low speed until well blended.
• BEAT egg whites in a shallow bowl until foamy. Place pecans in a separate shallow bowl. Measure about 2 teaspoons dough for each cookie. Roll into balls. Dip each dough ball into egg whites, then roll into pecans. Place on prepared cookie sheet. Using the back of a teaspoon or your thumb, make a rounded indentation in the top of each cookie.
• BAKE 10 minutes. Remove from oven. It may be necessary to create the indentation once again with a spoon. Place about 1 teaspoon preserves into the indentation of each cookie. Bake an additional 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven. Cool on baking sheet for several minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool completely.

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.

BAKLAVA THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter until blended. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and extracts. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Wrap dough in plastic; refrigerate until firm enough to form into balls, about 30 minutes. , Preheat oven to 375°. For topping, combine sugar and cinnamon; set aside. Shape dough into 1-in. balls; refrigerate again if dough becomes too warm. Place 2-1/2 in. apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake 8 minutes. Press a deep indentation in center of each cookie with the back of a rounded teaspoon. Fill each with honey and walnuts; sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Return to oven and bake until edges begin to brown, 7-9 minutes longer. Cool on pans 1 minute. Remove to wire racks to cool. Store in an airtight container.

NUTTY THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.
• Shape dough into 1-inch balls, roll in egg white, then in pecans. Using the end of a wooden spoon handle, make an indentation in the center of each ball. Cover and freeze until firm. Transfer cookie dough balls to a large resealable plastic freezer bag. May be frozen for up to 3 months.
• TO USE FROZEN COOKIE DOUGH: Place the dough balls 2-inches apart on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350-degrees for 17-20 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks. While warm, fill each with a teaspoonful of preserves. Cool completely.
• TO USE DOUGH WITHOUT FREEZING: To prepare cookies without freezing, shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll balls in egg white, then in nuts. Place about 2-inches apart on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Using the end of a wooden spoon handle, make an indentation in the center of each ball. Bake at 350-degrees for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks. While warm, fill each with a teaspoonful of preserves. Cool completely.

CHOCOLATE THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Whisk together the flour mix, xanthan gum, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the shortening, granulated sugar, and brown sugar, mixing on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes, and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the vanilla and egg replacer. Mix for 20 seconds.
• Add the flour mixture to the creamed batter in three batches, alternating with the rice milk, mixing on low speed and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
• Scoop out the dough by 2 teaspoonfuls and place on the baking sheets, 12 per sheet. Wet your hands with a little water and roll the dough into balls.
• Bake in the center of the oven for 5 minutes.
• Put the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and melt. This will take about 1 minute; check the chips halfway through and stir. Once the chips are melted, set them aside.
• Remove the cookies from the oven. Wet your thumb with cool water and, working quickly, make thumbprint marks in the center of each cookie. Fill the thumbprints with 1/2 teaspoon of melted chocolate.
• Return the cookies to the oven and bake an additional 5 to 6 minutes, or until set.
• Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring to a cooling rack.
• Jammy Thumbprint Cookies: Fill thumbprints with 1/2 teaspoon jam instead of chocolate. Raspberry, strawberry, and apricot all work very well for this.

LES MADELEINES THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Steps:

• Lightly toast then cool nuts; chop until very fine and set aside ~ If using a food processor for chopping, allow nuts to cool very thoroughly before chopping them in order to avoid turning them into a paste.
• Cream butter and sugar for 3-4 minutes in a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment until extra light-colored and fluffy; stir in vanilla.
• Whisk together dry ingredients; add gradually to butter mixture, stirring just until (do not overmix) dough comes together; stir in chopped nuts.
• Chill dough if it seems too soft.
• Form dough into 1 1/4" balls and place onto parchment-lined or ungreased baking sheets; indent the top of each ball of dough with your fingertip or with the dampened end of a wooden spoon.
• Bake at 325° for 10-12 minutes or just until the cookies start to turn light golden-brown at the edges; remove from oven and sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar; fill each indentation with a bit of jam or fruit preserves ~ I like to use red raspberry preserves.
• NOTES: Yield becomes 60 cookies when dough is formed into 1" dough balls. And any type of toasted and chopped nuts may be substituted for the almonds.