Jam Thumbprint Cookies
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I hate retro. No, I don't hate the notion that some dishes are classics. They are--if for a time. (Anyone for honey-soaked chicken gizzards in blood aspic? That one was a classic in Italy in the 1300s.)
Instead, I'm cranky about the use of "retro" as an excuse for "recycled"--aka "I'm out of ideas." Or better yet, "retro" as a cover for some twentysomething writer who's just "discovered" a dish.
In either case, a creeping insecurity soon haunts the writing--which inevitably gets coated in some fake blather about "retro." As if the word shellacks the classic with hipness, safeguarding it against catcalls from the cognoscenti.
Which somehow brings me to jam thumbprint cookies. Talk about a classic: nut-crusted cookie "cups" filled with jam. Could anything be better? Or less "retro." I ate one last night with a glass of local, organic goat's milk while watching In Treatment and it somehow morphed the depressing (but wonderful) HBO series into It's a Wonderful Life. Or something like that.
Last night, we used a recipe--tweaked--from THE ULTIMATE COOK BOOK. Here's the tweak: Bruce and I have a difference of opinion on when the jam should be added. He thinks it should bake on the cookies; I think it should be added to the indentations after the cookies have baked. His has a deeper taste; mine, fresher. But since chefs create recipes and food writers write them, I won out in how the recipe appears in the cookbook itself. These days, we split the difference, adding the jam partway through baking. And I'll be the first to admit: the meet-each-other-halfway technique gives the jam a more complex, candy-like taste.
So here goes:
First, position the racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven. Preheat said oven to 375F.
Then crush 1 1/2 cups walnut pieces into a coarse mixture, about like the tiny pebbles in an aquarium. You can chop them on a cutting board with a chef's knife, but Bruce always rolls them under a rolling pin, crushing them right on the counter. Or you could put them in a zip-closed bag, seal it, and gently crush them with the bottom of a heavy pot. In any event, pour these into a bowl and set aside.
And while you're preparing stuff to be set aside, use a fork or a small whisk to beat two large egg whites in a shallow bowl until foamy.
OK, now for the cookies. Beat 2 sticks (16 tablespoons), cubed, cool unsalted butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed just until the butter begins to turn creamy.
You know the secret, right? Butter in cookies must be cool. Below 65F, in fact, to trap the air molecules necessary for good structure. Otherwise, the cookies will spread uncontrollably on the baking sheets. Just cube the butter up right out of the fridge, then gather all your other ingredients together. By that point, the butter will have the chill off it but still be cool.
Add 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar and continue beating at medium speed until the mixture is quite smooth and light, about 5 minutes, scraping down the inside of the bowl occasionally to make sure everything's getting whacked by the beaters. At this point, to be honest, you almost can't overbeat the stuff. Well, OK, you could--but you'd have to beat it for 15, maybe 20 minutes. In other words, get the mixture creamy, the sugar dissolved, and don't worry about anything else.
Beat in 2 large egg yolks one at a time and then 1 tablespoon vanilla extract.
Turn off the beaters and pour in 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Now turn the beaters on at a very low speed and beat just until there are no white streaks in the dough, just until the dry ingredients have been incorporated. To be honest, you CAN overbeat the mixture now. Don't get those flour glutens too elongated or you'll have tough cookies. Just beat until the dry ingredients are uniform throughout the batter.
Scoop up 2 tablespoons of the dough and roll it into a ball between your palms. (These days, we make larger cookies than called for in the original recipe. More like Danishes, I think.)
Dip the ball in the beaten egg whites, turn it around so it's well coated; then put it into the walnut chips and roll it around until it's studded with them. You might also press those nut chips onto the cookies. Don't be passive. Get them on there!
Place the ball on an ungreased, lipped baking tray and keep making more, spacing them about 3 inches apart. In the end, you'll make 19 or 20 cookies, so you'll need two baking trays.
Why ungreased? Or not lined with parchment paper or a silicon mat? Because the reflective heat of the baking sheet will toast the nuts a bit as the cookies bake. Plus, there's enough fat in these babies that they'll stick to nothing.
When you've made all the cookies, place the trays in the oven on the top and bottom racks; bake for 7 minutes. Remove the trays from the oven and make an indentation in the center of each cookie with your thumb, pressing down to make a fairly deep well without cracking the sides of the cookie. Don't have an asbestos thumb? Use the handle of a wooden spoon.
Return the trays to the oven, but reverse them top to bottom (that is, the tray that was on the bottom should now be on the top and vice versa for even baking). Bake another 7 minutes.
Now take the trays out once again and fill each indentation with about 1 heaping teaspoon jam. We were using the very last of last year's crop around here: red currant, black currant, and concord grape. Boy, spring better come soon. We're running out of jam! (But not Meyer lemon marmalade--that recipe found here.)
Return the trays one more time to the oven, this time reversing them front to back if possible (that is, turning each 180 degrees). Bake for 7 minutes more or until the cookies are lightly browned at the edges and somewhat firm to the touch. Cool on the baking trays a couple minutes, then use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, they can be stored in a zip-closed bag or sealed plastic container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Break out the milk! These cookies can even brighten up HBO dreariness. Just don't call them retro.
Reader Comments (5)
Wow. I've just spent a thoroughly enjoyable hour (or was it two? or three?) puttering around your website and reading everything I could feast my eyes on. I love the commentary. And the pictures of your dishes all look divine enough that I was tempted to lick my screen a time or two.
I've done very well about not buying any new cookbooks since New Years. But now that I've proved to myself that I can INDEED survive without a new one each trip to the bookstore ~ I know the first one I'm going to scoop up as soon as it's out.
So glad I found you two!
<3
Nic
Nic: Welcome! Thank you so much for your kind words. So glad you found us, too.
M.
Made these today with my 4yr old daughter. We didn't have any jam but we did have our very last jar of Seville marmalade that I made with a glut in 2005. We also substituted rapadura for sugar. Very delicious and yes lovely with a big glass of cold raw milk.
Oh, yum--marmalade. Love it. Sometimes Bruce, if I push him, makes pear/lemon marmalade. But with Seville oranges? Wow.
M.
These sound great! I have some leftover rosemary plum jam...might have to make some cookies tonight.