Saturday, December 10, 2022

The 12 Days of Christmas Cookies - Day Three - Jelly Thumbprints

 


Thumbprint cookies are fairly easy to make.  Their ingredients are simple, and any competent baker will have everything already on hand.  In the photo above, from the lower left and going clockwise we have 1 1/4 cups flour, 1/3 cup powdered sugar, vanilla extract (1 tsp, not the whole bottle), 1 stick of butter at room temperature, one large egg, a jar of strawberry preserves (you can use any kind of jelly or preserves that you like) and 1/3 cup granulated sugar.

I like this particular recipe because it's done entirely by hand.  Start by mixing the butter with the powdered sugar.


Add the vanilla and egg and mix together.





Add the flour and mix until blended.


This recipe will make 48 cookies.  You can measure them out by the spoonful, or divide the dough in half and make each into 12 balls.  The dough will be a bit sticky.  Roll the balls in between your palms, then roll in white sugar (not powdered sugar).

After rolling them in sugar, roll them between your palms again (they will have lost their roundness in the rolling).  Then place them two inches apart on a baking sheet.  I use a silicon baking pad on my cookie sheets.  


Dip the bottom of a glass in the sugar and lightly press the cookies down.


Using the handle of a wooden spoon or your fingers, make an indentation in the dough.


Here I made the indentations with a bottle cap.


Take a small amount of the jelly and mix it up.  This will make it easier to work with.




















Drop small spoonfuls into the indentation in each cookie.


Bake at 325º for 15 minutes.  Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

When cookies are completely cooled, dust with powdered sugar.








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