Thumbprint Cookies

Today I woke up when it was pitch black, the wind was howling, and pouring sheets of rain managed to break my umbrella. As my day progressed, I sat down on a chair and some sharp object of destruction crept up on me and ripped a hole in the derriere of my jeans. Later, I sloshed through a grove of wet, sticky mud which managed to get all over my rain boots (at least this can wash off).

I walked home up a bazillion steep hills while carrying 3 huge textbooks, a messenger bag, an extra coat, and a wet, broken umbrella. After shoving mounds of chocolate chips down my throat and collapsing onto my cushiony desk chair in my warm house, I feel slightly better. Slightly.

Thumbprint cookies. Reminiscing about these thumbprint cookies makes me feel a bit better, too. I made these back down in sunny Los Angeles just before I drove back up to rainy Berkeley. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE being back in Berkeley, I could not be happier, but today is just one of those days.

Whether it is sunny or rainy, snowy or hail-y, these cookies with hit the spot.


When making thumbprint cookies, you literally push your thumb into the ball of dough, making a small indent that cannot wait to be filled with goodness!

And guess what? This dough is exactly the same dough that I used to make my apple tart! It's like when you see a spread in a magazine where the same skirt or jacket can be worn for work, weekend, and a night-out-on-the-town. Crazy, I know, but true. Even though I used the same dough recipe, I can really taste a harder, crumblier tart shell crust in my apple tart and a softer, chewier, cakier cookie dough in the thumbrpint cookies. Isn't it amazing how different the same thing can turn out when paired with something new?!









And the best part? I get to fill these babies with anything I want! Not only have I been on a Meyer lemon kick lately, but Nutella is now my new obsession. So, I chose to do variety of fillings--Meyer lemon curd (homemade of course), Nutella (the store-bought kind of course), and I threw in some fig/walnut jam as well as some strawberry jam. Mmmm mmm mmm now I can have one of each because of course, I must taste them all!


And look, this Nutella one came out looking like a little Hershey's kiss, cute!

Thumbprint Cookies
(NOTE: this is the same "Sweet Tart Dough" used to make my apple tart)

makes about 30 cookies

Beat together until creamy:
8 Tablespoons (1 stick)
1/3 cup sugar

Add and mix until completely combined:
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg yolk

Add:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

Mix well, stirring and folding, until there are no dry patches. Chill for a bit, maybe 3o minutes to an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Take your dough out of the refrigerator and roll into little balls about the size of a large walnut in its shell (1-inch?). Fill a shallow bowl or plate with about 1/2 a cup of:
granulated sugar

Roll each ball into the sugar.

Press your thumb gently into the top of each ball until a small indent forms. Bake for 12 minutes, remove from the oven, and fill the indents with:
lemon curd
or
jam (If using Nutella or chocolate kisses, wait)

Bake for another 5 minutes, or until light and golden. Let them cool. Now you can fill them with:
Nutella (I just plopped some in with a spoon)
or
Hershey's kisses