Blackberry Sage Cornmeal Thumbprint Cookies Recipes

BLACKBERRY THUMBPRINTS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spread almonds in ungreased shallow pan. Bake uncovered 6 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until light brown. Cool. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Line cookie sheets with cooking parchment paper.
• In food processor, place almonds. Cover; process 30 seconds or until finely ground.
• In large bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating well.
• In medium bowl, mix flour, salt, cloves, cinnamon and almonds; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Shape dough into 3/4-inch balls. On cookie sheets, place balls 2 inches apart. Press thumb into each ball, forming indentation.
• Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool 30 minutes. Spoon preserves into resealable freezer plastic bag; seal bag. Cut off tiny corner of bag; squeeze bag to pipe preserves into indentation in each cookie.

BLACKBERRY-SAGE THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl combine flour, cornmeal, sage, and baking powder. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl cream butter and add brown sugar, beat until combined. Beat in egg yolks, lemon zest and vanilla. Mix in the flour mixture. Shape dough into 3/4 inch balls, place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Lightly press the tip of your thumb into the center of each ball. Fill the centers with about 1/4 teaspoons of the blackberry preserves. Bake 10 minutes or until the bottoms are lightly browned. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute and then transfer to rack to cool completely.

BLACKBERRY-SAGE CORNMEAL THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt; set aside. With an electric mixer, beat butter on medium-high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar and beat until combined. Beat in the egg yolks, lemon peel, vanilla, and sage until combined. Add the flour in 3 increments, beating until all is incorporated. Cover and refrigerate dough for 1 hour. Shape dough into 3/4-inch balls and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Using the end of a wooden spoon, make an indentation in the center of each ball of dough. Drop about 1/4 teaspoon of blackberry preserves into each indentation. Place prepared cookies into freezer for 15 minutes prior to baking for best results. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until bottoms are lightly browned. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to wire racks to cool.

CORNMEAL THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Steps:

• Combine the almonds and confectioners' sugar in a food processor and pulse until the almonds are finely ground, about 1 minute.
• Add the flour, cornmeal, lemon zest, salt, and nutmeg and pulse several times to mix. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
• Stir the egg and vanilla in a small bowl and add to the almond-butter mixture. Pulse just until the dough begins to stick together.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead several times to form a flat disk. Wrap tightly in parchment paper or plastic and refrigerate for about 1 hour, until slightly firm.
• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Pinch off small pieces of the dough and roll into 1-inch balls. Place the balls on ungreased baking sheets, spaced about 2 inches apart. Using your thumb, press the center of each cookie to form an indentation.
• Spoon a heaping 1/2 teaspoon of preserves in the indentation of each cookie. Bake for about 15 minutes, until golden brown around the edges.
• Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes. Serve warm or transfer to a baking rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container until ready to serve, or for up to 4 days.

SIOBHAN'S THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Steps:

• Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and a second rack in the lower third then preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar and beat on medium speed, scraping the bowl occasionally, until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated, about 1 minute. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture, and stir until just combined. Shape the dough into a disc, wrap it in plastic, and chill at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
• Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and arrange on baking sheets, leaving about 3 inches between cookies. Using your thumb or the round end of a small pestle, make a well in the center of each cookie. Using a teaspoon, fill each well with jam, being careful not to overfill the wells. Bake, switching the cookies between the upper and lower racks about halfway through baking, until golden, about 15 minutes. Cool the cookies on baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Continue baking cookies on cooled baking sheets. DO AHEAD: The cookies can be baked ahead and stored, in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 3 days.