This is the recipe for the cookies that were pictured on my blog this past Friday. In the photo above, I used leftover scraps of sugar cookie dough. However, I think the recipe that I'm posting today is a better base for the cookie. It's crisper and holds up to the jam better, IMO.
I love jam thumbprint cookies, but I dislike the extra work of rolling individual balls, and putting jam into multiple thumbprints. This method for "fingers" is simpler. And I believe, "jammier". I hope you enjoy them!
You bake the cookies in two segments, one without the filling, and the other after adding the filling. (The filling is simply jam, by the way.)
Ingredients:
1 cup of butter, softened
3/4 cup of granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 tablespoons water, as needed
raspberry jam (other flavors of jam also work well, such as plum or blackberry), about 4-6 ounces
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
Stir the flour and salt together. Add to the creamed butter/sugar/egg/vanilla, 1/3 of the flour at a time, mixing well between additions. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed, until the dough is workable, but not too soft. Roll the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap and chill 20 to 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into quarters. Roll each quarter into a long rope that is the length of your baking sheet. Lightly butter a baking sheet, or use a non-stick baking sheet. Lay 2 ropes onto a baking sheet, and press a trough down the center of each rope.
Bake at 375 degrees F, for 10 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven, and fill the dough troughs with jam. Return to oven and bake for 9 to 12 minutes longer, or until light golden brown.
Cool on the baking sheet, set on a wire rack. Cut on the diagonal, while on the baking sheet, then remove to a rack.
Makes about 3 dozen.
If you want to make them look fancy, make a thin white icing and drizzle over the tops of the cooled cookies, like this (they'll be finger-shaped, however):
Or, sprinkle with powdered sugar, for this look (again, as above, they'll be finger-shaped and not rounds):
