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Jam Thumbprint cookies - -1/8/1

Thumbprint Cookies with Jam, or maybe you know them as Polish Tea cakes or Butterballs, are a popular holiday cookie made with a shortbread-like dough that is formed into balls and then each ball of dough is rolled in either coconut or chopped nuts. The name 'thumbprint' comes from the fact you use your "thumb" to make an indentation into each ball of dough and then fill it with jam.  

Although I have filled the cookies with raspberry and Apricot jam, feel free to use any flavored jam you like. If you decide to use preserves, just make sure to strain the preserves first to remove any large pieces of fruit. (Note: Jam and preserves are similar in that they are both a cooked combination of fruit and sugar (and sometimes pectin). The difference being that preserves still contain chunks of fruit, whereas jam is more like a fruit puree.)

Thumbprint cookies are one of those classic cookies that seem to make an appearance at any event regardless what the occasion is.  Perhaps it is  because they combine so many things people love: buttery cookies, coconut, and jam.

 

 

Close look at the cookies.

 

Preparation work..

Ingredients: 

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

7 ounces sweetened flaked coconut

Raspberry and/or apricot jam

Put the sugar and butter in a bowl and cream them together until they are just combined and then add the vanilla.   

Separately, sift together the flour and salt. 

 

With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar. 

 

The mixture did not come together with my hand held mixer so I transfer the dough to my food processor.  Press the button a few times until the dough starts to come together. 

Dump the dough in a plastic bag.

Roll the dough together into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes. 

 

Roll the dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. (If you have a scale they should each weigh 1 ounce.) 

Rolling into  1/ 1/4 inch balls.

Dip each ball into the egg wash.

 Roll the balls in coconut. 

Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet and press a light indentation into the top of each with your finger.

 

Put all the balls on a cookie sheets.

Drop 1/4 teaspoon of jam into each indentation. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Ready to go in the preheated oven...

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the coconut is a golden brown. 

Cooling the cookies on a cooling rack...

 

 

Filed as: Cake/cookies

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