Prep Time : 15 Minutes | Cook Time : 20 Minutes | Total Time : 1 hour | Difficulty : Easy
Hello my lovelies! Let’s start the week with some cookies. Grown up versions of a jammy childhood classic. Nutty crunchy almonds and a dollop of plum jam. All the good stuff. Perfect with cups of tea. Everything is really. You can change these up with different combinations of jam and chopped nuts to suit yourself. Cookies should be what you want them to be.
You do need to bake these until they are a golden so they will be satisfyingly crisp in the middle rather than soft. They will crack while baking but that’s part of their charm – if you’re very concerned you can give them a little squish back together when you rotate the tray during baking just be careful of your fingers!
Heat the oven to 180C (350F). Line baking sheets with baking paper.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat until well incorporated.
Add the ground almonds, flour, and cardamon (if using). Mix until just combined.
Finely chop the raw almonds. If your food processor can make a nice job of them then use it to save yourself the time. Mine is too powerful and will make a paste of them too quickly so it’s the old fashioned way for me!
In a small bowl lightly whisk the egg white with a fork to break it up.
Roll spoonfuls of dough into balls – I use the small OXO Good Grips cookie scoop which is about 2 teaspoons. Dip each ball in the egg white then roll it in the chopped nuts. The egg white helps the nuts to stick.
Roll the coated ball of dough in your hands for a second or two to embed the nuts. Place the balls onto the prepared baking sheets.
Flatten each so they are about half an inch high. Using the handle of a wooden spoon or similar (I found the outside of a chapstick a good diameter) press a dip into each cookie. You will need to hold the cookie together with your other hand so it doesn’t crack apart. Go almost all the way to the bottom – the dough does rise a bit so it’s ok.
If the cookies do crack at the edges use your fingers to smush them back together. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes until golden at the edges. They will crack a bit during baking but not enough to affect the jam-tightness of the cookie.
While the cookies are still warm, slowly heat the jam in a pyrex jug in the microwave – it’s too small an amount to heat easily in a pot. Do 20 seconds at a time until its soft and runny. Use the jug to pour a little dollop into the hollow of each cookie. Use a teaspoon to help you.
Let the jam set up a little and tuck in.
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Plum + Almond thumbprints
Prep Time : 15 mins | Cook Time : 20 mins | Total Time : 1 hour | Difficulty : Easy
Makes : approx. 25 to 30 cookies
Nutty buttery cookies with a crunchy cloak of chopped nuts a heart of rich plum jam.
Ingredients:
- 8 tablespoons (115 grams) unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup (85 grams) sugar
- 1 large egg, separated
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (75 grams) ground almonds
- 1 cup (140 grams) all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon (optional)
- generous 1/2 cup (80 grams) raw almonds (blanched or not as you like), very finely chopped
- approx. 1/2 cup plum jam
– If using metric cups, reduce volume measures by 1 tablespoon for every cup of dry or liquid ingredients –
Equipment:
- Bowls and spoons
- Standing or hand-held electric mixer
- Baking sheets lined with baking paper
Directions:
Heat the oven to 180C (350F). Line baking sheets with baking paper.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat until well incorporated.
Add the ground almonds, flour, and cardamon (if using). Mix until just combined.
Finely chop the raw almonds. If your food processor can make a nice job of them then use it to save yourself the time. Mine is too powerful and will make a paste of them too quickly so it’s the old fashioned way for me!
In a small bowl lightly whisk the egg white with a fork to break it up.
Roll spoonfuls of dough into balls – I use the small OXO Good Grips cookie scoop which is about 2 teaspoons. Dip each ball in the egg white then roll it in the chopped nuts. The egg white helps the nuts to stick.
Roll the coated ball of dough in your hands for a second or two to embed the nuts. Place the balls onto the prepared baking sheets. Flatten each so they are about half an inch high.
Using the handle of a wooden spoon or similar (I found the outside of a chapstick a good diameter) press a dip into each cookie. You will need to hold the cookie together with your other hand so it doesn’t crack apart. Go almost all the way to the bottom – the dough does rise a bit so it’s ok.
If the cookies do crack at the edges use your fingers to smush them back together.
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes until golden at the edges. They will crack a bit during baking but not enough to affect the jam-tightness of the cookie.
While the cookies are still warm, slowly heat the jam in a pyrex jug in the microwave – it’s too small an amount to heat easily in a pot. Do 20 seconds at a time until its soft and runny. Use the jug to pour a little dollop into the hollow of each cookie. Use a teaspoon to help you.
Let the jam set up a little and tuck in.
Cook’s Notes:
- You can use any tart red jam you have on hand if you don’t like or can’t lay your hands on a nice plum jam – and you can switch up the chopped nuts as well.
- Be careful not to underbake these cookies – make sure they are golden so you know they will be crisp in the middle.
– These cookies are best eaten within three days of baking – they will soften over time because of the jam –
Adapted from Baking from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan.
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These look super yummy! I love almond.
Me too!
Just made these, they are delicious! What is the best way to store them?
Hi Nada – they will soften a bit because of the jam but to keep them in the best condition put them in an airtight container with baking paper between the layers of cookies so they don’t stick to each other 😊