If you have a grandmother you probably know about the thumbprint cookie. It’s a classic, at Christmas with its filled center.
Wendy Paul gives the thumbprint cookie a fresh new spin!
Salted Dulce de leche Thumbprint Cookies
2 sticks or 1 cup butter, soft
1 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/4 flour
Dulce de leche (found in most supermarkets in the baking or ethnic area)
Coarse salt
Beat together butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and flour. Mix until dough comes together to form a ball in the middle of the bowl. Do not over mix this dough. Chill dough, covered for 30 minutes in the fridge.
Remove dough, and shape into small 1 1/2 inch balls. Place on a cookie sheet and gently press in the middle of each ball with your thumb. Bake for 12-15 minutes at 375 degrees, until cookies are soft, but lightly golden. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, place the Dulce de leche filling in a Ziplock bag, sealing the end. Place in a bowl of hot water. This will allow the filling to warm through.
When your cookies are warm, but not too hot to handle, snip off the end of the filling bag, and fill the cookies, about 1 tbsp. per cookie. You will have enough filling for your batch. Then sprinkle the coarse salt over the filling, before it sets.
Variations:
Raspberry and White Chocolate: 1 cup raspberry preserves, 1/4 cup melted white chocolate. Place 1 tbsp. raspberry preserves in the middle of each cookie, top with a drizzle of white chocolate.
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter: 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, 1/4 cup melted peanut butter, 1 cup dark chocolate chips, 1/3 cup heavy cream. Heat the cream and pour over the chocolate. Allow to stand for 1 minute. Stir to combine. Place 1 tbsp. chocolate in the middle of each cookie, drizzle with melted peanut butter and crushed roasted peanuts.
Apricot Pistachio: 1 cup apricot preserves, 1/2 cup chopped pistachios. Place 1 tbsp. apricot preserves in the middle of each cookie, top with crushed pistachios.
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