Thumbprint Cookies

Thumbprint Cookies – you may also know them as Polish Tea Cakes or Butterballs.

Combining all things people love so much – butter, nuts and jam – they are classic and favorite cookies for any occasion.

And you know what? They are also really easy to make –  just have a look!

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To prepare the Thumbprint Cookies you need:

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup (140 grams) all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (100 grams) walnuts (or hazelnuts or almonds or pecans)

1/2 cup jam (any flavor you like)

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1. Preheat an oven to 350 F (176 C).

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the nuts on the sheet.

3. Toast the nuts for about 10 minutes.

4. Remove the nuts from the oven and let cool.

Then chop them finely and place them into a bowl.

Nice!

5. Now let’s make the dough.

In the bowl of your electric mixer mix the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

6. Separate the egg and add the egg yolk to the batter.

Add the vanilla extract.

And then add the flour and salt to the batter and beat until just combined.

7. On a lightly floured surface form a log from the dough and cut it into about 12 – 15 equal pieces.

8. Form a ball from each piece and refrigerate for about 30 minutes (the balls will be easier to work with when refrigerated).

9. In a bowl whisk the egg white until frothy.

10. Dip a ball into the whisked egg white…

11. … and then roll in the nuts lightly.

Place the balls onto the prepared baking sheet spacing about 1 inch (2,5 cm) apart.

12. And now the funny part!

Take one well-built thumb and make an indentation into the center of each cookie.

13. Using a teaspoon, fill the cookie with the jam (if you want to make it more neat you can use a pastry bag or – like me – a small plastic bag with one corner cut off).

14. Bake for about 13-15 minutes.

Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack and let cool.

If you are planning to make these cookies in advance, you can bake them without the jam filling (in that case, reduce the baking time by a few minutes). They can be stored for about one week and filled with jam the same day as serving.

This recipe makes about 15 cookies.

Enjoy!

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Brownie Tart

brownie-tart

This Brownie Tart recipe is very unique and interesting because it changes casual brownies into an elegant dessert.

The trick is done by exchanging the usual square baking pan for the more formal tart pan.

And that is not all!

There are polka dots of delicious ganache that cover the surface of the tart.

Trust me, eating this dense, moist and fudgy chocolate wonder is pure bliss!

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To make the Brownie Tart you need:

1 cup (110 grams) walnuts, toasted and chopped

14 tablespoons (200 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

3 ounces (85 grams) semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces

1/2 cup (45 grams) unsweetened cocoa

 

1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar

3 large eggs

 

 

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 ounces (85 grams) cream cheese

1/2 cup (70 grams) all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

To make the Ganache you need:

2 ounces (55 grams) semisweet chocolate, chopped

1/3 cup (80 ml) heavy whipping cream

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1. Preheat an oven to 350 F (176 C).

brownie-tart-walnuts

2. Toast nuts for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned and fragrant.

Let cool and chop into pieces.

Set aside.

3. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 F (165 C).

4. Grease or spray you fluted tart pan with a nonstick vegetable oil and then line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.

brownie-tart-melting-butter

5. In a metal bowl, placed over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the butter.

brownie-tart-melted-butter-and-chocolate

6. Add the chopped chocolate and stir until smooth.

Then remove from the heat.

brownie-tart-adding-cocoa

7. Add the cocoa, …

brownie-tart-adding-sugar

8. …  and the sugar.

brownie-tart-mixing-with-eggs-added

9. Then add the eggs (one at a time) beating well after each addition.

brownie-tart-adding-cream-cheese

10. Beat in the vanilla and then stir in the cream cheese.

brownie-tart-adding-flour-and-salt

11. Add the flour and salt and mix until incorporated.

brownie-tart-adding-nuts

12. Stir in the nuts.

brownie-tart-batter-in-tart-pan

13. Pour the batter into the tart pan and spread it evenly with a spatula or the back of a spoon.

Bake for about 30-35 minutes.

brownie-tart-pouring-cream-into-chocolate

14. While the tart is baking you can make the ganache.

Place the chopped chocolate into a small bowl.

Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil.

Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate.

brownie-tart-mixing-whipped-cream-and-chocolate-chunks

15. Stir until smooth.

brownie-tart-making-holes

16. Remove the tart from the oven and let cool for about 20 minutes.

Then remove the tart from the pan.

With the end of a wooden spoon that is well greased (I dipped it in vegetable oil) make holes into the top of the tart.

It is good to twist the wooden spoon while inserting it. Thus you prevent the tart from tearing.

brownie-tart-filling-with-ganache

17. Using a small spoon (or a pastry bag, or a small plastic bag) fill the holes with the ganache.

Let the tart cool completely and then cover and refrigerate.

brownie-tart-inside

18. Well, only one half happened to get refrigerated in our household.

Yummy!

This recipe was adapted from here.

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