Thumbprints with Berry Jam

Directions

1. Pre heat oven to 350°F.

2. Cream together the butter and sugar for several minutes, until they look light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and beat until combined.

3. Mix together flour and salt in a separate bowl. Gradually pour the dry ingredients into the wet and beat until smooth.

4. Tear off small chunks of the dough and roll them quickly between your palms to form ¾ -inch balls. Before putting each one onto the baking sheet, press your thumb or the back of a wooden spoon into the center to make a hole large enough to fit about 1 teaspoon of filling.

5. Place the cookies on parchment-lined sheets and drop in the jam right from the teaspoon. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until cookies are set but not yet browning. Let cool completely before storing.

6/ Tip if the jam centers don’t look full enough; drop in more jam while cookies are still hot from the oven.

Make ’em your way:
Fill these little cookies with anything you like. Their simple flavor and shape adapt well to almost any filling:

Lemon Thumbprints: Replace the jam with store-bought lemon curd.
Chocolate Thumbprints: Bake cookies without any filling. Then drop in teaspoonfuls of prepared chocolate pudding, chocolate frosting or ganache while they’re still warm.

Excerpted from Cookiepedia by Stacy Adimando Copyright © 2011 by Stacy Adimando. Excerpted by permission of Quirk Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission from the publisher.