What could be better than a melt in your mouth butter cookie? A melt in your mouth butter cookie with a fruit preserve on top, that’s what. This recipe is one of a few butter cookie recipes I have that after you take your first bite you just kind of pause for a second while a hushed “mmm” sound comes out of your mouth. To top it off, they are easy to make.
I have been making this recipe for years and years. When I began making these I would bake the version with crushed pecans on the sides. Over the years food allergies have entered our lives, and off with the nuts they went. If you prefer to roll the cookies in crushed nuts, I have included that step as well.
Preserves are the best to use, but you can substitute with a jam. I recommend a seedless preserve or jam if available. For the cookies pictured, I made strawberry, raspberry, and blueberry.
Let’s get baking!
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs, separated
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
Fruit preserves
1 1/2 cups pecans, finely chopped (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, butter, egg yolks, salt, and vanilla on low speed for 2 – 3 minutes. If you are planning on using nuts, put the egg whites aside.
Using your hands roll the dough into small sized balls and place 1 inch apart on a greased cookie sheet. If you are using nuts, beat the egg whites until foamy. Roll the balls in the egg whites, then roll in the chopped nuts.
Using your thumb, hence thumbprint cookies, push an indentation into the top of each ball.
Bake for 8 minutes, remove from oven. You will need to re-thumbprint the cookies a little bit before adding the preserves. I tend to just use my thumb, but if you do not feel like burning yourself, like I usually do, you can use the back of a teaspoon.
Fill the indentations with preserves.
Continue baking for an additional 6 to 10 minutes until lightly browned.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Now try to eat just one, bet you can’t. Enjoy!
Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2 eggs, separated
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- fruit preserves
- 1 1/2 cups pecans, finely chopped – optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, butter, egg yolks, salt, and vanilla on low speed for 2 – 3 minutes. If you are planning on using nuts, put the egg whites aside.
- Using your hands roll the dough into small sized balls and place 1 inch apart on a greased cookie sheet. If you are using nuts, beat the egg whites until foamy. Roll the balls in the egg whites, then roll in the chopped nuts.
- Using your thumb, push an indentation into the top of each ball.
- Bake for 8 minutes, remove from oven. You will need to re-thumbprint the cookies a little bit before adding the preserves using your thumb or the back of a teaspoon. Fill the indentations with preserves.
- Continue baking for 6 – 10 minutes until lightly brown.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
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