by Elizabeth Bass aka Liz Ireland
Hi, everyone! Happy Twelve Days of Cozies! And a big thank-you to Angela for once again hosting this fun cozy extravaganza!
In my holiday cozy mystery series, my sleuth, April Claus, is renowned for her ineptitude in the kitchen. All her best baking intentions usually end in disaster: Elaborate desserts end up getting squished, or making entire herd of reindeer go berserk.
Most of what I write is purely from my imagination, but one thing I understand well is the dreaded Holiday Baking Fail. Like the meant-to-be adorable iced cookies that end up having demented faces. The cupcakes that—due to unfortunate experiments with food coloring—appear to be topped with icing in traffic-cone orange instead of cheery holiday red. Or the strudel with a crust that ended up tasting like shoe leather with a cinnamon glaze.
But last year I discovered a wonderful, easy recipe that I love: the thumbprint cookie! Thumbprint cookies are delicious and adaptable. Depending on what dollop of goodness you decide to put in their centers, they can add a zing to any holiday gathering—including the Christmas holiday. For this post, I prepared a batch with ginger preserves, mixed berry preserves, and white chocolate with sprinkles. (Note the aforementioned trouble with food coloring—my Santa red ended up a Valentine pink…)
Thumbprint Cookies
The recipe I adapted this from said a batch makes 24 cookies, but I tend to go large and end up with 16-18.
Dough Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt (can omit if you use salted butter)
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Filling:
Approximately ¼ cup of the preserves of your choice, lemon curd, melted chocolate, or Hershey’s kisses. All taste great!
For the drizzle
½ cup (90 g) white chocolate chips
1 tsp canola oil
Making the cookies:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
Cream the softened butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
Beat in the egg yolks, vanilla, and salt. Add the flour and mix until it forms a solid ball of dough.
Shape the dough into 1 tablespoon size balls and place them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. You can use your thumb to dent the centers, but I prefer to use the back of a ½ teaspoon.
Fill the indentations with preserves or melted chocolate. Do not overload.
If you’re going to use Hershey’s kisses, leave the indentation empty and bake. As soon as they come out of the oven, gently press the kiss into the warm cookie.
Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the bottom edges are lightly browned.
OPTIONAL WHITE CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE:
Combine the white chocolate and canola oil in a microwave safe bowl. Heat on high for 30 seconds and stir until the chips are melted. (Depending on your microwave’s power, it might take a few more seconds.)
Drizzle the melted white chocolate over cooled cookies and allow them to sit until the chocolate has set.
When the cookies are cooled, to keep the filling and glaze firm you can store them in the fridge. If giving away in a tin, add a layer of wax paper between cookie layers.
And that’s it. Enjoy! The cookies are fairly quick to make—a batch can be done in an hour—and foolproof (almost…watch that food coloring!).
Happy Holidays—may they be filled with warmth, treats, and maybe a little time to curl up in a cozy chair with a book!
ABOUT LIZ IRELAND
Liz Ireland is the author of many works of women’s fiction, romance, and mystery, including the Mrs. Claus holiday cozy mystery series. She also writes under the names Elizabeth Bass and Liz Freeland. Originally from the United States, she now lives on Vancouver Island in British Columbia.
You can find out more about her books on her website, Elizabeth-Bass.com, GoodrReads, or follower her on Instagram: @lizireland_author.
