Thumbprint Cookie Bars 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:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Mix brown sugar, shortening, butter, vanilla and egg yolk in medium bowl. Stir in flour and salt until dough holds together.
• Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Beat egg white slightly. Dip each ball into egg white. Roll in nuts. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Press thumb deeply in center of each.
• Bake about 10 minutes or until light brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Fill thumbprints with jelly.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.
• In another bowl, whip the butter and the sugar with a hand-held mixer until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla until just combined. Slowly beat in the dry ingredients in 2 additions, mixing just until incorporated.
• Scoop the dough into 1-inch balls with a cookie or ice cream scoop and roll in sugar. Place about 2-inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Press a thumbprint into the center of each ball, about 1/2-inch deep. Fill each indentation with about 3/4 teaspoon jam.
• Bake cookies until the edges are golden, about 15 minutes. (For even color, rotate the pans from top to bottom about halfway through baking.) Cool cookies on the baking sheets. Serve.
• Store cookies in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180ºC (160ºC Fan) 350ºF, Gas Mark 4. Lightly grease your 23 x 33cm (9 x 13in) baking tin and line with a strip of parchment paper that overhangs the long sides, securing it in place with metal clips.
• Place the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and whisk together.
• Place the butter, sugars and peanut butter in a separate large bowl and beat with an electric mixer for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat briefly to combine. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Add the flour mixture and beat on a low speed until evenly combined.
• Scrape the batter into the prepared tin and spread evenly. Using a small spoon, or the handle of a wooden spoon, make lots of little holes over the surface of the dough, then fill them with jam. Sprinkle over the chopped peanuts, trying to avoid the jam.
• Bake for about 35 minutes, or until set and firm around the edges. Set aside to cool completely in the tin. Use the parchment paper to carefully lift the bars from the tin, then use a sharp knife to cut into pieces.
• For the topping, mix together the white chocolate and peanut butter and drizzle over the bars, using a spoon or a piping bag.
• Stored in a sealed container, these will keep for 3-4 days.