Make an impression with thumbprint cookies

I wouldn’t necessarily say I have too much kitchen equipment. Or that I’m an ingredient hoarder. Or …

Okay, maybe that’s because the truth is hard to admit sometimes - at least out loud.

So, fine, I’ll make it official: I have more cooking tools than I probably should in my small kitchen, and a pantry and fridge overflowing with who knows what.

I can make a compelling case for a lot of those things, but sometimes it’s nice to forget all the fancy stuff and just make a really good, really simple recipe.

Cookies don’t get much easier than these WholeWheat Jam Thumbprints. They require only six ingredients, one of which can be any ol’ jam you have hanging around the house. (See? It pays to have a stocked pantry!) And you bring the dough together with nothing other than your hands, in a single bowl. Try to be gentle while doing it, though, to avoid forming excess gluten, which can make the cookies tough.

If you happen to have a cookie scoop or disher on hand (see? useful equipment!), they will make especially neat balls of dough. Otherwise you can portion out the dough by using a tablespoon, or even pinching off pieces with your fingers.

The source for the recipe is Fäviken, a small, remote and in-demand restaurant in Sweden that offers such fare as potatoes cooked in decomposed autumn leaves, and pine-bark cake. (I would love to see their equipment and ingredient supply.) This, however, is an accessible recipe for the rest of us, whether we have all the bells and whistles or not.