We’re a large family and we often have surprised guests. I’m always prepared for this possibility and have uncooked cookie dough or individual dessert cups ready in the freezer. Today was no exception. I used already-rolled almond cookie dough that I simply popped in the oven for 10 minutes, rotated the tray, pressed them to create a cavity and continue baking them for exactly 8 more minutes. Then, I filled the formed thumbprint cookies with hot vanilla raspberry preserves.
I served the cookies with masala chai and a tray of fresh raspberries and freshly cut pineapples. Voilà: tea time is served!
1. Info for Raspberry Thumbprint Cookie Recipe
- Cook Time: unavailable
- Total Time: unavailable
- Servings: 22
- Calories: unavailable
2. Ingredients for Raspberry Thumbprint Cookie Recipe
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 8 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1½ tablespoons almond paste
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 2 (5.6-ounce) packages fresh raspberries, plus extra for garnish
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 vanilla bean
3. Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a bowl, cream the butter with the powdered sugar. Add the egg, flour, baking powder, baking soda, almond paste and salt. Mix until the cookie dough is formed. Sprinkle with light brown sugar and mix until well distributed. Do not over-mix. Store in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
- Line 2 baking sheets with silicone mats or sheets of parchment paper. Using a melon baller, form 22 balls of cookie dough and place onto the baking sheets. Make sure to space the cookies about 2 inches apart so that they don’t touch each other as they expand when they bake. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes at 375°F. Open the oven. Press the center of each cookie using a melon baller or any small spoon. Lower the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 8 minutes.
- Using a paring knife, scrape and gather all the grains of the vanilla bean (see tips).
- Place a small plate in the freezer to use as a tester.
- In a small, non-reactive saucepan, place the coarsely mashed raspberries and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Using a large mesh strainer, strain the raspberry pulp and discard the seeds.
- Return the raspberries to the saucepan and add granulated sugar. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat. Make sure the sugar is dissolved, then raise the heat to a full boil and add the vanilla beans. Stir well and transfer a drop of preserves onto the cold plate. After it cools down (2 minutes), if you tilt the plate and it stays in place, it’s ready.
- As soon as the cookies are out of the oven, spoon about ¼ teaspoon of raspberry preserves into each thumbprint. Let the filling set until firm.
- Reserve the rest of the preserves in a jar and store in the refrigerator.
- Garnish with fresh raspberries as a reminder of the flavor in the cookies and enjoy with a cup of hot tea.
- Bon appétit!
