Buttery Deliciousness: Thumbprint Cookies with Raspberry & Orange Marmalade!

My son turned ’16’ – HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! For his sweet 16, my son instead of a giant cake asked for his all time favorite cookies – Thumbprint Cookies. Strange request cause my son lives by cake. And each year he anticipates a grander and more decadent creation than the previous. Well, it is his birthday so for one day he is the king of our home and gets to do what ever that pleases him. Did I mention that he also requested me to re-create the Basque meal we had on our trip to Spain? Chicken Stew with basque peppers, squid in squid ink etc…you get the point.

Personally I consider baking a science that yields exceptional results if one follows a recipe precisely paying extra attention to measurement and temperature. Unlike, savory cooking where I can always play around and even create a dish while I am in the middle of a dish. Since I hardly consider myself a baker, I look for inspiration from the experts, one of them being The Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten). Her recipes are simple and fool-proof. I know for sure that I will end up with an extra delicious baked good if I follow her recipes. And I do so each time, especially, when I have to bake cakes and cookies. So yes, her recipe is re-created in my kitchen and held at the highest regard by my biggest and most honest critics – my children.

Buttery Thumbprint Cookies

These gem-like cookies have so few ingredients yet it is bursting with richness and flavor.The coconut and marmalade cuts the richness of this shortbread cookie and brings the entire cookie come together in one mouthful. It is simply delightful, not to mention the ease of preparation.

 

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
• sweetened flaked coconut
• Raspberry jam and/or orange marmalade

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until  combined. Stir in the vanilla.
3. Sift  the flour and salt. With the mixer on low-speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix until the dough starts to come together. Dump on a floured board and roll together into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes.
4. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls. Dip each ball into the egg wash and then roll it in coconut. Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet and press a light indentation into the top of each with your thumb. Drop 1/4 teaspoon of jam into each indentation.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the coconut is a golden brown. Cool and serve.

 

These cookies vanished even before they cooled down. Some times the simplest things in life are the most lavish and revered. Fair to say it was a successful evening and I might just have whipped out one of the best meals I have created ever….Yes! Love is my secret ingredient and all you need!!

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