The Wait is Over: Dylan's Famous Jam Thumbprint Cookies
If there’s been one thing keeping us somewhat sane during the past few months of almost constant busywork, its been the small breaks here and there that we’ve been able to cook. There’s something almost meditative about the process. Clearing. Calming. Dylan and I both have our strengths, and by taking a step back to entertain those strengths, it gets us through the rough times.
Take for instance the past few months when the Holiday rush hit my work, and Dylan suddenly took on weekly trips to Central Idaho. Having maybe an hour or two at night together, we wanted to make the moments we did have together special. SO, we developed new recipes. We cooked together, in charge of trying new things a few times a week. We’d trade off who would be in charge, and just let the process clear away our stress. Sometimes, if what we made was shelf-stable, we’d take our creations down to the farmers market for the ultimate test. We got to give back to some o the vendors we love and the friends we’ve made. Ultimately, it was super rewarding for us!
These cookies were the talk of the holiday table!
These cookies are by far the most famous (and most demanded) recipe to come out of those trials. Developed from scratch through a surprisingly small amount of trial and error (Humblebrag for Dylan here: He literally got it down on the second attempt. His knowledge of cookies blows my mind!), we wanted to find a use that could help us get through the veritable mountain of jams that we had as a centerpiece on our kitchen table. This was the jackpot. Every time we brought these anywhere, we left with no leftovers, and people literally pleading for the recipe.
Seriously, we couldn’t keep these around long enough!
Well, now that time has come!
The truth is: these cookies are incredibly easy! Start with creaming the butter and sugars together in a medium bowl. Then, add in the vanilla and egg yolks and mix well. Sift the dry ingredients into another bowl and combine with the wet ingredients while mixing. We found it best to do this with an electric hand mixer, though a stand mixer would be just as fine. It won’t look like it’s coming together at first, but keep at it! Soon, it’ll clump into a beautifully smooth dough.
So smooth!
Now, it’s important to lower the temperature and let the fats in the cookie settle a bit. SO! Cover the dough and set it in the fridge to rest and chill for at least 30 minutes. You could even make the dough, wrap it, and chill it overnight as a way of doing things ahead of time, or you could even freeze it until later(we do this all the time during the holidays). If you freeze it, just make sure that it’s not frozen when you start sectioning off pieces!
When you are ready to start making these cookies, preheat the oven to 350°, and set a sheet of parchment paper onto your baking sheet. Then, using a tablespoon-sized scoop, scoop a lump of dough into your hands, and roll it into a ball. You could also freehand this as if you were making meatballs. The key here is that each little ball should be uniform in size, approximately 1 inch in diameter. Place each little ball of dough on the sheet pan.
They are just begging to be filled!
Then, take your thumb (or the back of a spoon, or even the back of your scoop), and press an indent into the ball so that the bottom flattens against the pan, and you have a little crater in the top. Try to go slowly, so that the edges of the indentation do not crack as easily. This pit will serve as the vessel for all that delicious jam!
Little Soldiers ready to do their duty!
Speaking of, make sure not to overload the jam into the top of the cookies. Also, make sure that whatever jam you use, doesn’t have extra liquid in it. Jams that are on the “wetter” side tend to separate when baking. Others turn out great! You can use any jam that you like! We are partial to the lovely jams from The Jelly Lady, and in this recipe, we used three: Tropical Delight, Strawberry Lemonade, and Blackberry.
They expand a tad, but not too terribly much!
Once all the thumbprints have their jam fillings, stick them in the oven and back for 12-14 minutes. Keep an eye on them, and when the cookies have just started to exhibit a sheen of goldenness along the bottom edge of their plump frame, they are ready to come out! Make sure to let them sit for at least 10 to 20 minutes before eating so they can firm up a bit.
They are so jam-packed and delicious!
That’s literally all there is to it! These cookies are incredible year-round, and with the right jam can celebrate any occasion! They also make the perfect gift!
Full Disclosure: These disappeared in a matter of minutes!
Dylan’s Famous Jam Thumbprint Cookies
Makes: approximately 36 scrumptious cookies
Prep time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 12-14 Minutes
Ingredients:
2 sticks unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract or Paste
1 egg yolk
2 ¼ cup flour
2 tsp cornstarch
½ tsp salt.
6 oz assorted jams of your choice.
Instructions:
Cream together the butter and the sugars in a mixing bowl, then add in the vanilla and egg yolk and mix until uniform.
In a separate mixing bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch, and salt.
Using an electric mixer, incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet, until a dough forms. It will initially look like cornmeal, however keep mixing to form a consistent dough.
Cover dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°. Remove dough from the fridge, and scoop 1inch balls of dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Using the back of the scoop, make a deep indent in each ball.
Fill each indentation with a heaping teaspoon of jam, and bake for 12-14 minutes. Let rest on a cooling rack for at least 10 - 20 minutes before eating.
