Italian Thumbprint Cookies Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets.
• Separate egg, reserving egg white. Cream butter or margarine, sugar, and egg yolk.
• Add vanilla, flour and salt, mixing well.
• Shape dough into balls. Roll in egg white, then walnuts. Place on cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 5 minutes.
• Remove cookies from oven. With thumb, dent each cookie. Put jelly or preserves in each thumbprint. Bake for another 8 minutes.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Mix butter and powdered sugar together with a rubber spatula until creamy. Add vanilla extract, almond extract, salt, and egg yolk. Mix with the spatula. Add flour and blend until just combined.
• Use a sorbet scoop to portion dough into 1/2-ounce (1-tablespoon) balls. Roll balls in a plate of white sugar to coat; roll again between your palms. Place several inches apart on a silicone-lined baking sheet. Flatten balls lightly with your fingers.
• To make shortbread cookies with a little jam, poke a well into each cookie using the end of a thick wooden spoon dusted with powdered sugar or using one of your fingers. Fill cookies with fruit jam. Tap baking sheet against the counter to let jam settle.
• Bake in the preheated oven until tops are barely blonde and bottoms are slightly golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack before icing.
• Meanwhile, mix powdered sugar with a little milk until you have a consistency that will hold its shape when piped. Pipe icing on top of cookies in a zigzag pattern. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.
• For a more jam-forward cookie, press your thumb into the cookies to make large, shallow indentations. Spoon in jam. Tap baking sheet against the counter.
• Bake until not quite golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let rest on pan for 5 minutes before transferring a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar.

Steps:

• Cream together margarine and sugar.
• Add salt, lightly beaten egg yolks, vanilla, and almond extract, and mix thoroughly.
• Gradually add flour and stir until well blended.
• Roll dough into one inch balls.
• Beat egg whites until frothy.
• Dip dough balls into egg whites and roll in chopped nuts.
• Place on cookie sheet about two inches apart and press a deep thrumbprint into each center.
• Bake at 350 degrees 10-12 minutes.
• While cookies are still warm, fill thumbprints with jelly or press a maraschino cherry or Hershey's kiss into the thumbprint.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in egg, oil, vanilla and butter flavoring. In another bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture., Shape dough into 1-in. balls; place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Press a deep indentation in center of each with the end of a wooden spoon handle. Bake until edges are light brown, 8-10 minutes., Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Fill with preserves.