Thumbprint Cookies

AWW recipe

These are timeless cookies. I have a hand-me-down recipe from my grandmother, which uses shortening as that was common in her days. I substitute  butter, like in the Australian Women’s Weekly recipe. I do however retain a portion of the egg white, like my grandmother did to facilitate the final coating.

These are a lot less sweet than American sugar cookies. and the soft brown sugar makes the cookies moist and slightly fudgy. White sugar works well too, and makes for a slightly crisper cookie.

 

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Thumbprint Cookies
The basic dough is very versatile. You can double it and make two kinds of cookies, by varying the final coating. My version this week used cashew nuts, but any nuts would work. Another option is to use desiccated (unsweetened dry) coconut for delicious coconut cookies.
Prep Time 20 min
Cook Time 20 min
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Prep Time 20 min
Cook Time 20 min
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Prepare baking trays by lining with baking sheets or parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 170C fan (you can use 190C conventional setting, but hard to use multiple baking trays).
  2. Beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy, using either a stand mixer or a hand-held beater.
  3. Add the yolk and about half the white (retain the remaining white for using later) and the vanilla. Beat again.
  4. Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt and mix in on a low speed until just combined.
  5. Lightly beat the remaining egg white in a small bowl. Keep the nuts in another plate or bowl. Drop rounded teaspoons of the dough into the egg white and then into the nuts.
  6. Place on the prepared baking trays, allowing room for spreading. press lightly to flatten slightly and make an indent in the centre with your thumb.
  7. Fill the indent with jam or press a chocolate button in.
  8. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes until a nice golden colour. Cool slightly before removing from the trays and placing on a cooling rack.
  9. Store in an airtight container.
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