Perfect Thumbprint Cookies

Servings:

My mother, Pauline, made really nice thumbprint cookies, but I never wrote down her recipe. I knew the ingredients, but unless you have the right proportions, you won't get that perfect melt-in-your-mouth texture. So, I did an image search and found a recipe that looked very similar, credited to a great-grandma named Mitzi. Since my last name is Mitzewich, that pretty much sealed the deal. In case you can't decide between a shortbread-focused cookie and a jammier one, here's how to make both.

Prep
17 min
Cook
63 min
Servings
Difficulty
Hard

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1 Gather all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat.
  2. 2 Mix together powdered sugar and butter in a large bowl with a rubber spatula until creamy. Add egg yolk, vanilla, salt, and almond extract; mix well. Blend in flour until just combined.
  3. 3 Use a sorbet scoop to portion dough into 1/2-ounce (about 1 tablespoon) balls. Roll each ball in a plate of white sugar to coat; roll again between your palms.
  4. 4 Place several inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten balls lightly with your fingers.
  5. 5 For rounder cookies with less jam, poke a well into each ball using a finger or the end of a thick wooden spoon dusted with powdered sugar. Fill wells with fruit jam. Tap the baking sheet against the counter to let jam settle.
  6. 6 For flatter, jammier cookies: Press thumb into each ball to make a large, shallow indentation. Spoon in jam. Tap the baking sheet against the counter to let jam settle.
  7. 7 Bake in the preheated oven until light golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar.
  8. 8 Make icing: Place powdered sugar in a small bowl. Add milk, a little at a time, until icing reaches a consistency that will hold its shape when piped. Pipe over cookies in a zigzag pattern. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Nutrition per serving

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