Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Butter and Jam Thumbprints: Make Them for Someone You Love!

Yesterday's snow day gave Amelia and me the perfect chance to make cookies for Valentine's Day. I looked at a bunch of recipes for special cookies: sandwich cookies with hearts cut out of one side, cutout hearts, frosted hearts. But we have to keep things simple around here.

So, Amelia whipped up a batch of these:


The colors might be a little psychedelic, but they are 100 percent calorie free!

Once we put the Play-doh away I pulled out an old favorite: Butter and Jam Thumbprints. I usually make these at Christmastime, but I thought they'd be perfect for Valentine's Day when filled with a little red strawberry jam. 

We got a little more creative and made a heart-shaped well for the jam, instead of the usual thumbprint. 


A small heart-shaped cookie cutter would probably work best, but since I didn't have one of those on hand I used an oval 1/2 teaspoon. If you use a cookie cutter, you'll have to flatten the cookie slightly first, and remember not to cut all the way through. You just want to create a well for the jam.

Amelia helps clean up. Her favorite part of baking!

Here's the recipe:

Butter and Jam Thumbprints
1 3/4 C. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 C. butter, softened
2/3 C. sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup jam, flavor of your choice

Preheat oven to 350. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together. In another bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla until just combined. Slowly beat in dry ingredients in two additions, mixing until incorporated.

Form dough into 1-inch balls and roll in sugar. Place two inches apart on baking sheets. Press a thumbprint into the center of each ball, about a half inch deep. Fill with approximately 3/4 teaspoon of jam. Do not overfill the well or your jam will run everywhere once it heats up. Although it is the baker's privilege to eat those "mistakes" without guilt!

Bake until edges are golden, about 15 minutes. For even color, rotate pans from the bottom oven rack to the top oven rack halfway through baking. Cool on cookie sheets and serve.

Store in tightly sealed container up to 5 days.

Makes 24-30 cookies.

Enjoy these with someone you love!

 
© Trippin' Mama 2010

4 comments:

Claremont First Ward said...

I'll have to try these. I've always liked them but never prepared them.

Hope you participate in WOrdful Wednesday soon! :)

Jen said...

I make a similar cookie during Christmas time.

They are so good.

Donya said...

Do you have an email address where I can chat privately with you?
Thanks
Donya Robinson
donyarobinson@gmail.com

Christy AKA Trippin' Mama said...

Nanna, I sent you an email, but haven't heard from you. Maybe it went to spam? You also can email me at trippinblog@gmail.com. Hope everything's OK with your expectant triplet mama.

Christy