Thumbprint Butter Cookies

A new year has come and I so has a new blog post! It feels like I haven’t put up anything new in forever but here it is: Thumbprint Butter Cookies.

I didn’t grow up eating holiday cookies during the winter (unless you count those butter cookies in the round blue tins that you can buy from the store) so I wanted to try baking some of my own this year.  These cookies are kind of like the Knott’s shortbread jelly cookies but better because well, they’re homemade by me.  No, I’m not that full of it but really, they are good cookies.  The thumbprinting and jelly-filling part of making these cookies can get a bit tedious but think of it as a small price to pay for what you’ll end up with! 

Butter Cookies (recipe found on epicurious)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder.  In a large bowl beat the butter until creamy using an electric mixer.  Gradually add the sugar, beating until the mixture is light and fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined well.  Add in the flour mixture little by little.  Beat the mixture until it just forms a dough.

Divide the dough into two and form six inch disks.  Wrap each with plastic wrap and let them chill in the fridge for about an hour or so. 

Preparing the cookies to bake

Preheat the oven to 350˚F.  Take out one of the disks of dough and your choice of jam (I used strawberry).  Make balls of dough using a teaspoon and arrange on a baking sheet, about 1 inch apart from each other.  Now use your thumb to make little wells in each cookie.  (If you do this step when the dough’s too cold you’ll find that the edges will have cracks.  I personally don’t mind this but those of you who want more aesthetically pleasing cookies should wait for the dough to warm up a bit before making thumbprints).  Take ¼ teaspoon and scoop jam into each thumbprint/well.  Pop them into the oven and bake for 12-14 minutes, until barely golden around the edges.  Let them cool on a rack and store in an airtight container.