There are certain cookies that I only seem to make at Christmas time. There's no reason for this, other than the fact that I must keep chocolate chip cookie dough stocked in the house at all times for Alex and we can only eat so many cookies, so my motivation to make other kinds is low. Biscotti and shortbread make more appearances than any other cookies simply because they take well to the cookie jar and don't need to be eaten quickly.
This year I decided not to wait to start making cookies. I am starting with the thumbprints and plan to make one alternate cookie a week and enjoy the hell out of them. Normally we gorge ourselves on cookies for a week or two around Christmas but this year I plan to draw out the pleasure and make my cookies last. Instead of struggling over which to pick to, I am going to space them out and savor each one.
This thumbprint recipe is a riff off of the one in Mrs. Field's Best Cookie Book Ever! My copy is literally falling apart, so it seemed a good time to jot down my changes and preserve the recipe in the cloud for Amaya. One day she may want to make these for herself. I used a hand mixer to make this batch and the dough is a little rough around the edges. I'll probably knead the rest of it a little bit to smooth things out for the next batch. Still delicious, just a little rustic in appearance.
These cookies are softly sweet and buttery, with a crisp-tender texture that makes me happy. As with all cookies, there are very few ingredients, so quality matters. If you wouldn't slather the butter on bread or eat the jam with a spoon then don't put them in the cookies. And that's all I have to say about that. These are excellent breakfast cookies, but then again, at my house all cookies are excellent options for breakfast.
"Thumbprint" Cookies
3 dozen cookies
8 ounces (226 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (200 grams) sugar
½ teaspoon (3 grams) baking powder
½ teaspoon (3 grams) fine sea salt
1 large egg
2 teaspoons (8 grams) vanilla paste or extract
2 ½ cups (375 grams) all purpose flour
Preheat oven to 325°F. Line your half sheet pans with parchment paper.
Use a stand mixer with a paddle or a hand mixer to cream together the butter, sugar, baking powder and salt until thoroughly combined. Add the egg and vanilla, and then mix until smooth. Add the flour and mix on low speed until the dough comes together.
Use a purple cookie scoop (just over 1 ½ tablespoons) or a or a spoon (roll it into balls) to scoop out the dough and set it on the prepared baking sheets, leaving two inches between each cookie. Use a ½ teaspoon to scoop out the center of each portion of dough. Press the open end directly into the center of the portion and then rotate it in a circle (as you would use a melon baller) to scoop out a small ball of dough. You can reuse these portions of dough to make more cookies. You can press the back of the spoon into the indentation if it seems too shallow. Use the ½ teaspoon to fill each indentation with jam. Bake for 22-24 minutes until the cookies are a light, golden color. Cool completely before serving.
*We have a very slow oven at the moment, so the cookies took me 28 minutes. Don’t be concerned if they take longer than expected. I have had them finish in the time listed above in many other ovens, so just keep in mind that cooking times are relative…also, the darker the cookies, the deeper the flavor. Impatience usually makes my first batch the palest gold, rather than a deep golden brown.
**And, I had the oven temperature wrong. Edited above. I still have a slow oven but not quite as slow as I thought. I did not bother to knead the cookie dough because the texture was perfect the first time around and I didn't want to mess with them.
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