Updated Post II- Grandma's Thumbprint Cookies

Hi everyone!  Happy Friday!  It's the Friday before Christmas, which means I've got to squeeze in another cookie recipe to grace your dessert tray: thumbprint cookies!  Let's get started!

You might be wondering why I'm posting this recipe for the third time on my blog.  First of all, the photos in post one and post two were lacking 😂😬.  Second of all, Christmastime is ideal for special recipes.

I have to be honest with you all:  this recipe that I am posting is not my late maternal grandmother's actual recipe, but it certainly parallels the thumbprint cookies she used to make.  There are many iterations on thumbprint cookies, but the ones my Grandma used to make were so homey and baked with love.

They start out with a sweet but not too sweet dough.  This dough reminds me of sugar cookie dough, but it's richer in color and flavor because it's filled with brown sugar and egg yolks.  While this dough would make lovely cookies all on its own, it needs a pop in flavor in color.  That's where jam comes it.  You can use whatever kind of fruit jam you would like.  My Grandma used to fill her thumbprint cookies with apricot jam, but raspberry is also good.

Come to think of it, there are so many interesting jam flavors out there.  One such is sugar plum jam.  It has a gently sweet flavor that is balanced with a few warm spices.   Speaking of sugar plum, do you all have an opinion on The Nutcracker?  I just went to the ballet recently for the first time and I thought it was cool!  I'm obviously not a theatre critic or anything but I thought it was well done and worth the outing!

Ok, let's get back on track.  So far, we have a dough similar to that of sugar cookies and some fruit jam.  But there is one component lacking:  a bit of crunch!  That's where finely chopped walnuts come in; they add a bit of welcome textural contrast to these cookies.

I hope you enjoy these cookies as much as I do.  There are a bunch of them in my freezer right now, so I really should start making a dent in them...

A recipe from this website was slightly tweaked to bring you this recipe.

That's all for now.  Don't forget to follow me on Instagram!  I look forward to hopefully posting again on Monday, but that is TBD 😊.  Merry Christmas 😊!

Grandma's Thumbprint Cookies

• .75 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 finely chopped walnuts
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup fruit preserves of choice

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2.  Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, on medium speed, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and egg yolks.

3.  Add the vanilla, flour, and salt, mixing well.

4.  Use a 1.5 T. cookie scoop and shape the dough into balls.

5.  Dip each ball into the egg whites, then roll in walnuts.

6.  Place the rolled dough balls on the cookie sheet, 2 inches apart.

7.  Make a hole in the middle of each dough ball and fill it partway with the fruit preserves of your choice.

8.  Bake in preheated oven for 15-18 minutes.

9.  Enjoy, storing at room temperature for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to a month.