Okay … This is probably the most serious post I will ever make. I have been debating back and forth in my mind whether or not to share this recipe with the cyberworld, because I love being the only person I know who has it! It is my absolute favorite recipe. For anything. Ever.
I have been making them since I was literally four years old (maybe even longer, but I remember helping with them at four). I have never missed a Christmas season baking them. Each year, my sister Laura made candy cane bread, Denise made cheesecake bites, Linda made cinnamon twists, Kim made pretzel cookies, and I made these.
To this point, I have never tasted anyone elses’ thumbprint cookies that come close to as good as these. For real. And I am not usually one to say that something I made is hands-down the best, but these cookies freaking rock. The recipe originally came from some random old calendar my father has, and it doesn’t need alteration (except for doubling the recipe, which I’ve already done for you here).
The secret to these cookies is that they use brown sugar instead of white. Yep, that’s it. No crazy ingredients, nothing fancy. Just brown sugar. It makes for a caramelized undertone that, when paired with quality jam, leaves nothing to be desired.
So, I present to you …
The Best Thumbprint Cookies You Will Ever Taste In Your Entire Life
or, Asshole Cookies, as my best friend affectionately calls them.
Ingredients:
- 1 c. unsalted butter, softened
- 1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2 c. sifted all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- seedless preserves or jam (I made half the batch with Jett’s Natural Produce Peach Butter and half with Jumbars Jumbleberry Jam)
Directions:
- Cream butter and sugar in large mixing bowl.
- Beat in egg yolks and vanilla.
- Add flour and salt. Mix well.
- Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Roll dough into 1″ balls and place 1″ apart on lightly greased or parchment covered cookie sheet.
- Gently press thumb into center of each cookie to form depression in dough.
- Fill depression with small spoonful of preserves or jam.
- Bake 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned.
- Cool on racks.