Thumbprint Cookies

It's cookie time! Coming from a girl who adores chocolate, I have to highly suggest trying this delicious fruit, nut and shortbread alternative. It came out moist with so many flavors to enjoy. We made these cookies accompanied by a chocolate chip M&M chunk cookie in our holiday gift tins.

Tip: To save time, you can purchase pre-roasted or toasted nuts in many markets.

Toasting Tips: : To toast the nuts. Spread nuts on a baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree F (180 degree C) oven for 8-10 minutes. The nuts are done when they are light golden-brown in color and fragrant. Remove from oven and place the hot nuts in a dish towel. Roll up the towel and let the nuts sit (steam) for a few minutes then rub the nuts in the towel briskly to remove the skins. Let cool completely. Once the nuts have cooled, place them in your food processor and process until finely chopped. Alternatively, you could chop them by hand.

Serving Size: Makes approx. 20-30 cookies

INGREDIENTS:

-1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
-1/4 cup granulated white sugar

-1 large egg, separated
-1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
-1 cup all purpose flour

-1/8 teaspoon salt

-3/4 cup hazelnuts, almonds, almonds, pecans or walnuts, toasted and finely chopped

-1/2 cup jam (any flavor-I chose strawberry)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat until combined.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the flour mixture to the batter and beat just until combined. (If the batter is too soft to roll into balls, refrigerate for about 30 minutes.)

4. In a small bowl, whisk the egg white until frothy. Place the chopped nuts on a plate.

5. Roll the dough into 1 inch (2.5 cm) balls. Taking one ball of dough at a time, dip first into the egg white and then lightly roll into the nuts.

6. Place on the prepared baking sheet spacing about 1 inch apart. Using your thumb or end of a wooden spoon, make a indentation into the center of each cookie and fill with about 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of jam.

7. Bake for about 13-15 minutes, or until cookies are set and the nuts have nicely browned. Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool.