Thumbprint Cookies

I enjoy baking just as much as I enjoy cooking, especially when the baking involves homemade cookies. In my opinion, no commercially-prepared cookie can compare to one straight out of your own oven.

Here’s a terrific recipe for you to try:


THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Ingredients:

¼ cup butter, softened
½ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
½ cup good-quality raspberry jam
(Instead of jam, you can use chocolate pieces like Hershey kisses)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar together using an electric mixer. Add egg and vanilla, and mix until blended.

Whisk together flour and salt in a small bowl. Gradually add flour to wet ingredients, and mix with a wooden spoon, forming a large ball.

If the dough is sticky, refrigerate for an hour before proceeding. Otherwise, go ahead and form 1-inch balls and place them 1-inch apart on the cookie sheet, making a deep thumbprint in the center of each.

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. After one minute, place on a wire rack to cool. Ad a little raspberry jam (or chocolate) to the center of each cookie.

Makes about 20 cookies.