Thumbprint Cookies

I’m sure that just about everyone already has a recipe for thumbprint cookies.  I’m sharing mine for a couple of reasons though:  Because they’re one of my elder daughter’s favourite cookies, and because my niece Maddy asked for my Christmas baking recipes.  I couldn’t share Christmas recipes without including this one.  I bake these cookies every year.

If you’d like to make my thumbprint cookies, you’ll need:

• 1/2 pound butter
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract         
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• 3 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
• About 1/2 cup of jam

Cream the butter, then add the sugar and beat the two together.  Add the egg, vanilla and milk.  Mix again.

Whisk the flour, salt and baking powder together.  Add the coconut and stir it through the flour.

Add the dry mixture to the creamed butter mixture and mix them until they’re well combined, to form a stiff dough.

Scoop teaspoonfuls of the dough and roll them into balls.  Place the balls about 2 inches apart on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.  Poke your finger into each ball of dough to make an indentation in the top center of each cookie.  (You may find it helpful to dip your finger in water before doing this.  It helps prevent the cookie dough from sticking.)

Fill the indentations in each cookie with some jam.

Bake the cookies at 350ºF for 8 to10 minutes, until they’re lightly browned on the bottom.  Let them cool on the cookie sheets for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to brown paper to cool completely.

Store the cookies in an airtight container, with wax paper between each layer to prevent the cookies from sticking together.