Christmas Cookies

Well it sure wouldn't be Christmas without some cookies, so today I made a double batch of my favorites...Thumbprint Cookies. I got a little creative this year and made some without nuts (for Chuck; who believes nuts and cookies should never be combined under any circumstances...silly silly boy!)

So here are the shots of the process:

Here I am creaming the butter and sugar...the process gets a bit harder when the flour is added, but not insurmountable.

This is a double batch, so the chunks look bigger. I actually got 82 cookies from what you see here.

Here is a shot of the pieces that I cut from a roll and a couple of cookies ready to go in the oven.

I had some company and assistance while I was working!

As you can see...my helper was getting a little ahead of herself.


The final product. Only one broke!

Here's the recipe:
Thanks go out to http://www.about.com/

Thumbprint Cookies

1 Cup Butter softened (Unsalted)
3/4 Cup sugar
2 large eggs (separated and reserved)
2 cups flour (sifted)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups finely chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans or your favorites)
1/2 cup jam or preserves (my favs are raspberry w/o seeds and apricot)

Beat butter until creamy. Gradually add sugar. Add egg yolks (hold whites for later)and vanilla extract.
Take one cup of flour and add the salt, sift gradually into the butter mixture and mix together.
Add the other cup of flour. Don't stop now...keep mixing.

Cover tightly in a plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight. Put the covered egg whites in the fridge too, for the process later.
Next day.
ready to bake...
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Take the dough from the fridge and cut into equal pieces that will yield 12 cookies. This will be a chunk about 9 inches long and about 1 inch in diameter. Give a slight roll to the dough to get a smooth surface on the roll, then slice the cookies about 1/2 to 3/4 of inch thick.
You can then roll them quickly into a ball or use as is to coat in the egg whites and roll in the nuts, place onto the cookie sheet and give a quick half moon indentation with the back of a melon-baller or teaspoon (or your thumb, if you must!). Twelve to a sheet.
bake for 15 minutes. Cool on oven tray for one minute and more on cookie racks, fill when almost cool with your favorite stuff, jelly, jam, chocolate icing or other. The combinations are endless.

Enjoy!