I had so much fun on Studio 5- and I’m sharing with you one of my favorite cookies, the Thumbprint cookie, very classic, usually filled with jellies or jams, or even a maraschino cherry like my mom did. (I still make them for my kids too.)
The best thing about this cookie, is you can be creative and customize your fillings to whatever you want. Raspberry and white chocolate. Chocolate peanut butter. Apricot and pistachio… oh, and how about Salted Dulce de Leche? I know. You could go on and on and on.
It would be fun to make some and have a cookie making party with your kids, or even your friends. Simply bake the cookies a head of time and have them cooled and ready to fill. Perfect! Place all the fillings in little bowls with spoons, and you’ll be the coolest person on the block.
Can’t resist a photo of myself with my cookbook, 101 Gourmet Cookies. You can find it for purchase here, and here.
Salted Dulce de leche Thumbprint Cookies (NEW) with variations
2 sticks or 1 cup butter, soft
1 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/4 flour
Dulce de Leche (found in most supermarkets in the baking or ethnic area)
Coarse salt
Beat together butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and flour. Mix until dough comes together to form a ball in the middle of the bowl. Do not over mix this dough. Chill dough, covered for 30 minutes in the fridge.
Remove dough, and shape into small 1 1/2 inch balls. Place on a cookie sheet and gently press in the middle of each ball with your thumb. Bake for 12-15 minutes at 375 degrees, until cookies are soft, but lightly golden. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, place the Dulce de Leche filling in a Zip lock bag, sealing the end. Place in a bowl of hot water. This will allow the filling to warm through.
When your cookies are warm, but not too hot to handle, snip off the end of the filling bag, and fill the cookies, about 1 tbsp. per cookie. You will have enough filling for your batch. Then sprinkle the coarse salt over the filling, before it sets.
Variations:
Raspberry and White Chocolate: 1 cup raspberry preserves, 1/4 cup melted white chocolate. Place 1 tbsp. raspberry preserves in the middle of each cookie, top with a drizzle of white chocolate.
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter: 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, 1/4 cup melted peanut butter, 1 cup dark chocolate chips, 1/3 cup heavy cream. Heat the cream and pour over the chocolate. Allow to stand for 1 minute. Stir to combine. Place 1 tbsp. chocolate in the middle of each cookie, drizzle with melted peanut butter and crushed roasted peanuts.
Apricot Pistachio: 1 cup apricot preserves, 1/2 cup chopped pistachios. Place 1 tbsp. apricot preserves in the middle of each cookie, top with crushed pistachios.
Happy Baking!
