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.
Ingredients
- unsifted powdered sugar: 0.33333 cup
- stick unsalted butter, at room temperature: 1 piece
- egg yolk: 1 piece
- vanilla extract: 1 tsp
- fine salt: 0.25 tsp
- almond extract: 0.125 tsp
- ¼ cups all-purpose flour: 1 piece
- white sugar: 0.33333 cup (or as needed)
- fruit jam: 0.5 cup (divided)
- powdered sugar: 1 cup (or as needed)
- milk: 1 Tbsp (or as needed)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat.
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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.
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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. Place several inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten balls lightly with your fingers.
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For jammier cookies, skip to Step 7. For shortbread-type cookies, 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.
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Bake in the preheated oven until the tops are barely blonde and bottoms are slightly golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack before icing.
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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.
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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.
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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. Kim
