Thumbprint Cookies …..source – King Arthur GF Flour Blend
Made these today. They came out great!
Ingredients: 1 c butter, 1/2 c sugar, 1/2 c brown sugar, 2 eggs – separated, 1 t vanilla, 1/2 c nut meal (I used pecan), 2 1/2 c – 3 c gf flour, 1 c ground nuts (again, used pecans), preserves or jelly for filling.
Method: In a large bowl beat the butter and sugars until creamy. Add the egg yolks, vanilla and salt.
In a medium bowl combine the minimum measure of flour and the nut meal. If the dough seems too sticky add additional flour a few tablespoons at a time until the dough is no longer sticky but the flours are combined and the dough is workable.
Chill the dough for 1 hour or longer ( I held mine overnight). Refrigerate the egg whites until ready to use.
Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and allow to rest at room temperature for half an hour. I cut mine into cubes to allow it to soften faster. Allow the egg whites to come to room temp. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment.
Form the dough into balls. When the dough is formed whisk the egg whites to foamy. Roll the dough balls in the egg whites followed by the ground nuts. Place the dough balls 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Press into the center of each ball to create an imprint. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. Turn the tray and continue to bake for 3 – 6 additional minutes. Centers of the cookies should look dry. Remove the baking sheets from the oven, transfer the parchment paper with the cookies to a cooling rack. Allow to cool before filling the centers. If the center of the cookie has puffed and closed up the imprint use the end of a butter knife to repress the imprint. After the cookies are cooled drop a 1/2 t to 3/4 t of jam/preserves/jelly (I used pineapple and plum preserves) to the center imprint. Cookies can be drizzled with decorator frosting or powdered sugar to serve.
Yield: about 30 cookies
