Brown Butter Thumbprints Recipes

BUTTERY JAM THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F with rack on middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment on high speed, beat butter and sugar until creamy and light, 2-3 minutes (do not rush this part, as it will determine how your dough turns out.) Add vanilla and salt, scraping down bowl as needed. Switch to medium-low and gently mix in flour, just until combined. Dough should be somewhat sticky. Form into a ball shape, cover, and chill 30-60 minutes.
• Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into 1-inch balls. Place dough balls on parchment-lined baking sheets or silicone baking mats. Press down the center of each ball with handle-end of a wooden spatula or finger, making a deep well in the middle - deep but not too wide (it helps to hold the dough ball in palm of hand while forming the well with your finger.)
• Fill cookie centers generously with jam/preserves. I use either a very small spoon or a piping bag. Bake 20-25* minutes or until golden brown and puffy. Let cool 5 min. on baking sheet, then gently transfer to finish cooling on wire rack.
• When cookies are completely cooled, dust with confectioners' sugar. Cookies can be kept in airtight container at room temp for a few days.

FESTIVE THUMBPRINTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Place sprinkles in a shallow bowl or bowls., Shape dough into 1-in. balls; dip tops in sprinkles. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Press a deep indentation in center of each with your thumb. Bake until edges are light brown, 10-12 minutes. Using a wooden spoon handle, enlarge any indentations that may have narrowed or closed. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool., For filling, bring sugar, butter and milk to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring constantly. Cook and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add candy coating and vanilla; stir until smooth. Divide filling between 2 bowls. Using food coloring, tint filling in one bowl red and in the other bowl green. Spoon fillings into indentations; let stand until set.,

PERFECT THUMBPRINT COOKIES

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.

THUMBPRINT COOKIES

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.

THUMBPRINT COOKIES I

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets.
• Separate egg, reserving egg white. Cream butter or margarine, sugar, and egg yolk.
• Add vanilla, flour and salt, mixing well.
• Shape dough into balls. Roll in egg white, then walnuts. Place on cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 5 minutes.
• Remove cookies from oven. With thumb, dent each cookie. Put jelly or preserves in each thumbprint. Bake for another 8 minutes.

BUTTER AND JAM THUMBPRINTS

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.

TAHINI THUMBPRINTS COOKIES WITH DULCE DE LECHE

Steps:

• Place racks in the upper and lower thirds of an oven and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and baking soda, and set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, cream together the sugar and butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tahini and mix on medium speed until well combined, stopping to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
• Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract and salt to the butter-tahini mixture, and mix on medium speed until emulsified, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure the dough is evenly mixed.
• Add the flour mixture, and mix on low speed until just combined and no streaks of flour remain. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure the dough is evenly mixed.
• Roll the cookies into tablespoon-size balls and place them on the baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
• Bake the cookies for 7 minutes, then remove them from the oven and very carefully use your thumb or the handle of a wooden spoon to make a teaspoon-size indent in the center of each cookie. The cookies will crack slightly along the edges; that's OK. Return the cookies to the oven, rotating the pans from front to back and top to bottom. Bake until the cookies are set and just barely golden at the edges, another 5 to 7 minutes. Set the pans on cooling racks and press on the indentations slightly if they have puffed up during the baking process. Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes.
• Use a small spoon or pastry bag to fill the indentation of each cookie with about 1 teaspoon of dulce de leche, and sprinkle with flaky salt, if using. Let cool completely on the pans. Store in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

THUMBPRINT BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in egg, oil, vanilla and butter flavoring. In another bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture., Shape dough into 1-in. balls; place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Press a deep indentation in center of each with the end of a wooden spoon handle. Bake until edges are light brown, 8-10 minutes., Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Fill with preserves.