Grandma's Thumbprint Cookies

Adapted from: Merilynn Erhart

Serves: 24-30 cookies 

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 18 minutes

Ingredients:

1/3 cup raspberry jam

50 g (1/3 cup) walnuts, finely chopped

150 g (2/3 cup) salted butter, softened

85 g (1/3 cup) sugar

2 egg yolks

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

270 g (1.5 cups) all-purpose flour

Now that I have the recipe, these delicious bites will make it into my kitchen more often. Grandma's cookies are the best cookies. Between the butter-licious shortbread and the raspberry jam, I really can not find a better cookie marriage. Naturally, they taste best when she bakes them. How mine turn out craggy and dark and hers perfectly smooth and bright, I shall never know. But aside from the looks, the taste is spot on. Come join the dark side!

I love this recipe for all the above reasons. I will sing all the praises--I am biased toward these morsels. No objectivity here.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup raspberry jam

50 g (1/3 cup) walnuts, finely chopped

150 g (2/3 cup) salted butter, softened

85 g (1/3 cup) sugar

2 egg yolks

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

270 g (1.5 cups) all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 177 C / 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

2. If using jam with seeds, sift the jam through a sieve to remove the seeds. Combine the seedless jam and walnuts and set aside. 

3. In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. 

4. Beat in the egg yolk, salt, and vanilla. 

5. Gradually add flour, about 1/3 at a time, and mix until well combined. 

6. Shape the dough into 2 cm (3/4”) balls and space them out on the baking sheet. 

7. Press (with your thumb) in the centre of each dough ball to form a well. 

8. Fill the wells with the raspberry-walnut filling (about 1/2 tsp per cookie). 

9. Bake for 15-18 minutes and allow to cool and store in an airtight container.