Best Thumbprint Cookies Ever Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Mix butter and powdered sugar together with a rubber spatula until creamy. Add vanilla extract, almond extract, salt, and egg yolk. Mix with the spatula. Add flour and blend until just combined.
• Use a sorbet scoop to portion dough into 1/2-ounce (1-tablespoon) balls. Roll balls in a plate of white sugar to coat; roll again between your palms. Place several inches apart on a silicone-lined baking sheet. Flatten balls lightly with your fingers.
• To make shortbread cookies with a little jam, poke a well into each cookie using the end of a thick wooden spoon dusted with powdered sugar or using one of your fingers. Fill cookies with fruit jam. Tap baking sheet against the counter to let jam settle.
• Bake in the preheated oven until tops are barely blonde and bottoms are slightly golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack before icing.
• Meanwhile, mix powdered sugar with a little milk until you have a consistency that will hold its shape when piped. Pipe icing on top of cookies in a zigzag pattern. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.
• For a more jam-forward cookie, press your thumb into the cookies to make large, shallow indentations. Spoon in jam. Tap baking sheet against the counter.
• Bake until not quite golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let rest on pan for 5 minutes before transferring a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar.

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend flour and salt and set aside.
• 2. In a seperate mixer, whip butter that has been at room temperature until light and fluffy.
• 3. Add the sugar, and blend until light and fluffy. Add in the egg yolk and blend. Add the vanilla and blend.
• 4. Add in the flour and salt mixture and beat until blended. If adding the nuts, add them next and blend until it forms a dough ball. This is easier with a Kitchen aide blender.
• 5. With the dough, take small teaspoon size portions and roll into little balls. Place on a greased cookie sheet (or parchment lined cookie sheet) Make them small, and space them on the cookie sheets....they grow when they cook!
• 6. Into each ball on the cookie sheet, indent it with your thumb or finger (or even knuckle)
• 7. Bake them in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Take them out of the oven. They will have puffed up a bit, and the indentation will be fairly lost at this point. Again, indent the cookies with the back of a spoon this time, while still hot. Place whatever filling you would like (about a 1/2 teaspoon in each cookie)
• 8. Return them to the oven and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until they are golden brown on the rims of the cookies. (the fillings might even "bubble" a bit, but that is ok.
• 9. * Any favorite jam,jelly or filling can be used in these cookies. The ones shown here, are apricot and strawberry preserves. Jellies tend to be more "runny" but will still work as well....depends on what you like and what you have on hand, but it is only limited to your imagination and tastes! Make this recipe your own by adding whatever your family likes. :) Seriously good cookies! And like I said, you might want to double this recipe, because they do not last long at all! :)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets.
• Separate egg, reserving egg white. Cream butter or margarine, sugar, and egg yolk.
• Add vanilla, flour and salt, mixing well.
• Shape dough into balls. Roll in egg white, then walnuts. Place on cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 5 minutes.
• Remove cookies from oven. With thumb, dent each cookie. Put jelly or preserves in each thumbprint. Bake for another 8 minutes.