When someone heard I was taking special requests they opened the cookie jar, which I did not know was almost empty and said, "Does she bake cookies?"
After I got the cake in the oven I did a quick search of my Pinterest board, I Love Baking Cookies, and found this recipe. It is a cookie my sister makes every Christmas. I have never tried it. I have made a basic Jelly Belly but not one like this. So away I went.
The dough was easy to work with. The cookies came out very nice. Baked perfectly. The almond was nice and I opted for a raspberry jam filling. I will bring some to my sister tomorrow to see what she thinks....
The original recipe was Italian Thumbprint Cookies With Fig Jam and Almonds.
Italian Thumbprint Cookies With Raspberry Jam and Almonds
Ingredients-
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 large egg, separated
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup almonds, finely chopped
2 tablespoons raw coarse sugar
1/2 cup Raspberry Jam
Method-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a baking pad. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes with an electric mixer. Add in the egg yolk and almond extract and beat for another minute. Fold in the flour and salt and mix until combined. Refrigerate dough for at least 15 minutes or until firm enough to roll into balls.
Roll the dough into 12 equal-sized balls. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining egg white until frothy. In a separate bowl, stir together the chopped almonds and raw sugar. Dip one of the dough balls into the egg white and then roll in almond mixture to coat. Place on cookie sheet and repeat with remaining balls.
Use your thumb or a spoon to gently press the middle of the cookie down so that the cookie spreads and there is a slight indentation in the middle.
Bake cookies for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and spoon about a teaspoon of jam into the center of the cookie. Return to oven and bake for another 7 to 8 minutes, or until cookie is light golden in color. Cool on baking rack before moving to wire rack to cool completely.