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 …
OK, 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.
WHOLE WHEAT JAM THUMBPRINTS
3-1/4 cups whole-wheat
flour
1 tablespoon baking
powder Generous 1 cup sugar 21 tablespoons (2 sticks plus 5 tablespoons) salted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
Scant 3/4 cup your choice
of jam
Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 400 degrees. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
Use your hands to combine the flour, baking powder and sugar with the butter in a mixing bowl until well incorporated, for about 1 minute. Pour the eggs into the mixture and gently work them in just until smooth, taking care not to overwork the dough.
Use a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop or a tablespoon to scoop half the dough into 30 equal portions. Roll them into balls; the dough might be a little crumbly, so don’t be afraid to compress it a bit to help the balls stay together. Divide between baking sheets, spacing the balls about 2 inches apart. Make an indentation in the center of each one with your thumb, then fill each depression with about 1/2 teaspoon of jam. If the edges crack, just gently press them back together.
Bake (upper and lower racks) for 12 to 15 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown and firm to the touch; halfway through, rotate the baking sheets from front to back and top to bottom. Transfer the thumbprints to a wire rack to cool.
Meanwhile, repeat with the remaining dough — rolling it into another 30 balls, placing them on the baking sheets, creating the indentations, filling them with jam and baking.
Serve warm, or let them cool completely before storing.
The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. For long-term cold storage, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and freeze, for up to several months.
Adapted from Food52’s “Genius Desserts: 100 Recipes That Will Change the Way You Bake.”
Per serving: Calories: 80; Total Fat: 4 g; Saturated Fat: 3 g; Cholesterol: 15 mg; Sodium: 35 mg; Carbohydrates: 11 g; Dietary Fiber: 0 g; Sugars: 5 g; Protein: 1 g.