Thumbprint Cookies

Some may say a holiday season wouldn't be complete without a thumbprint cookie however I would say any season or occasion for that matter, as the jam filling can be switched out according to the season. These sweet buttery biscuits are melt in your mouth scrumptious and do not last long in our house. I prefer chopped walnuts to roll and coat the cookies in however wanted to give finely ground almonds a go for a more lighter Spring texture and taste.   

Thumbprint Cookies

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makes approximately 30 cookies

2 1/2 cups (300 g) unbleached all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, room temperature and softened

1/2 cup (100 g) white sugar

1/4 cup ( 55 g) dark brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

about 1/2 cup (170 g) apricot jam 

1/2 cup (60 g) finely ground almonds, for coating 

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl combine whisk together the flour and baking powder.

In a large bowl combine the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar and using a handheld mixer beat well until light and fluffy. Scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is combined evenly.

Add the egg, vanilla extract and salt to the butter and sugar mixture Beat well until all is incorporated and light and fluffy again. Fold in the flour and baking powder mixture until a cookie dough forms.

Using a 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the dough and roll each ball between your clean hands to form a smooth even ball. Place the finely ground almonds on a plate and roll the now formed cookie dough balls in the finely ground almonds. Then press the middles down of each with your thumb or a measuring teaspoon, preferably a 1 teaspoon, to create an indent space for the jam. 

Arrange the cookies on the parchment lined baking tray, about 2 inches apart to allow for possible spreading, and fill the indents with the apricot jam. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not over bake, you do not want a hard cookie, they should be soft and melt in your mouth. Allow the cookies to rest on the tray for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool. Repeat until all the dough is used up. 

Notes: you can use any seedless jam or fruit curd as your filling and you can use chopped walnuts or any chopped nuts, desiccated coconut or flavoured sugar as a coating. If you want to use Nutella as a filling, do not fill prior to baking, fill cookies after they are baked and are right out of the oven. 

Oatmeal Cranberry Cashew Squares

It's far more appealing to whip everything up in a bowl or thereabouts, place it in a pan and let it do its magic for 25 minutes. This recipe gives you the flexibility of squares or cookies; so if pressed for time, squares are the way to go and if you have the time, then cookies will be the relaxation and effort one may need. I prefer this recipe in its former, squares as I find they are delightfully substantial and chewy, becoming my rainy day indulgence. 

Oatmeal Cranberry Cashew Squares

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2/3 cup granulated white sugar 

2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

3 cups old fashion or quick cooking oats

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries

1/2 cup diced dried apricots

1/2 cup chopped cashews

Heat oven to 375ºF. Line the bottom of an 8x8x2 inch square baking tin with baking parchment paper.

In a large bowl add the white sugar, brown sugar, softened butter, baking soda, ground cinnamon, vanilla, baking powder, salt and eggs. Beat ingredients with an electric mixer on medium speed until nicely blended.  

In another bowl combine the oats, flour, cranberries, apricots and cashews together. Add to the butter sugar mixture and stir to combine. 

Spoon dough into the prepared baking tin and press down evenly, using moisten hands if need be. Bake for 25 minutes or until light brown. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Once cooled cut into 4 rows by 4 rows, 16 squares.

If making cookies... drop by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inch apart on a lined cookie sheet. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until lightly brown. Remove immediately from baking sheet to a wire rack to cool. 

Notes: I found the edge of the squares to bake more quickly than the centre, to which I found a bit soft and giggly, you could add more baking time however you have to keep checking as you do not want to overcook them. If the centre is semi-soft or semi-set that is okay as they will firm up and set upon cooling and are meant to be chewy not crunchy.     

Apricot Honey Bread

Last week I did a post about the Winnie-the-Pooh cookbook and shared the Apricot Honey Bread recipe. Over the weekend we had a get together with friends so I decided to make that and serve it with a few other nibbles. The loaf turned out perfectly... light and moist and disappeared quickly!  

I was tempted to add walnuts however decided to make the recipe as stated. I did sneak in a bit of British mixed spice and it was worth it. 

Hope everyone had a good weekend. - JD