Perfect for parties or afternoon teas, thumbprint cookies are incredibly versatile. I took an afternoon to try out four different flavour combinations: chocolate with a chocolate ganache, lemon and poppy seed with lemon curd and lemon icing, coffee with vanilla cream and funfetti sprinkles with vanilla cream. The basic recipe is super easy and really simple to customise. You can go crazy with your fillings! Simple jam, Nutella or peanut butter would be epic.
Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
130g unsalted butter
100g caster sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
185g plain flour
Pinch of salt
2 egg whites
Method
- Preheat your oven to 190°C/170°C fan/Gas Mark 5 and line your baking sheets with baking paper or reusable liner.
- Pop your butter in a bowl and beat for 30 seconds using a hand or stand mixer.
- Add the sugar and salt and mix to combine.
- Add the egg yolks and vanilla and mix again.
- Pour in your flour and combine.
- Divide your dough into portions about 2.5cm wide and roll into balls – I made 11-12 cookies from each batch of dough.
- If you’re adding coatings, roll each ball in egg white and then in the coating.
- Using a 1/2 teaspoon or your finger/thumb, press down into each ball to make a well.
- Pop the cookies into the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, until slightly golden on the edges.
- If the centres puff up a bit during baking, press them down into wells again with your 1/2 teaspoon.
- Let them cool on the trays for five minutes before transferring them to cooling racks.
- Prepare your fillings and toppings – see below for a range of options
Chocolate: Substitute 30g flour with 30g cocoa.
Chocolate ganache: 60ml hot double cream poured over 100g chocolate. Spoon a little into each cookie. Top with a strawberry or chocolate sprinkles if desired!
Lemon: Add 1 tbsp poppy seeds and the zest of 1 lemon to the mix along with the sugar.
Roll balls in egg whites and in Demerara sugar before baking.
Fill with lemon curd and top with lemon icing and poppy seeds.
Lemon icing: 60g icing sugar mixed with lemon juice and milk, 1 tsp at a time until drizzling consistency. Drizzle over cookies.
Coffee: Add 2 tsp ground-up instant coffee to the mix with the sugar.
Fill with vanilla cream.
Vanilla cream: Beat 57g softened butter until creamy. Add 60g icing sugar and 3 tsp double cream. Add 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Add a little more cream until you get a pipeable consistency. Use a piping bag to pipe stars into each cookie.
Funfetti:
Roll balls in egg whites and then in funfetti sprinkles.
Fill with vanilla cream.
Vanilla cream: Beat 57g softened butter until creamy. Add 60g icing sugar and 3 tsp double cream. Add 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Add a little more cream until you get a pipeable consistency. Use a piping bag to pipe stars into each cookie.
🍪❤️🍪
Adapted from Magnolia Journal – Spring 2022 edition.
