Thumb print cookies

MAKES 18

“This is a beautifully plain, crumbly cookie, making it the ideal blank canvas for adding herbs, such as tarragon, rosemary, or thyme, or citrus zest,” says Jessica Elliott Dennison.

125 gm butter, at room temperature

100 gm (scant ½ cup) caster sugar

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla paste

300 gm (2½ cups) plain flour

40 gm (1/3 cup) almond meal

½ tsp baking powder

1-2 tbsp finely chopped tarragon or other herb of your choice (optional) 9 tsp of your favourite jam 1 Preheat oven to 180°C fan and line a baking tray with baking paper.

2 Using a hand-held electric whisk or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat butter, sugar, egg and vanilla paste together until combined. If mixture splits, don’t worry, just whisk in 1 tbsp of the flour.

3 Stir in flour, almond meal, baking powder, chopped herbs and a pinch of sea salt flakes, until you have a rough, crumbly, soft dough. Transfer to a work surface and knead until smooth. 4 Roll dough into 18 equal-sized balls (roughly 30gm each) and place on lined baking tray, leaving space between each one to allow for spreading. Press your thumb into the middle of each cookie to create a little indent.

5 Fill each indent with ½ tsp jam then bake for 12 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and leave to cool on tray, where they’ll continue to firm up nicely. Cookies will keep for up to 2 days in an airtight container.