Thumbprint Cookies

• For the dough
• 2 1/4 cups (280g) flour
• 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, at room temperature (but not too soft)
• 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
• 3 tbsp brown sugar (light or dark)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (100g) sugar, for rolling
• 2/3 cup (160 ml) raspberry jam, or any other jam
• For the glaze
• 1/2 cup (60g) powdered sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp light corn syrup
• 1 tsp (5 ml) milk, or more as needed

Instructions

1. 1

   Beat the butter with a paddle attachment. Add the sugars and salt and beat until light and fluffy, stopping and scraping the bowl a couple of times, 3–5 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat another minute or two. Add the egg yolk and mix until well incorporated. Sift the flour into the bowl and mix on low until just combined. You may wish to finish slowly mixing the dough by hand. I do so by folding the dough over itself very gently, to ensure the gluten in the flour is not developed and the cookie stays tender.

2. 2

   Roll the dough into small cookie balls. I prefer to use just about 1/2 tbsp (7ml) of dough. Place 1/2 cup (100g) sugar in a small bowl and roll the cookie balls in the sugar. Place the cookies on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, making sure the cookies are two inches (5cm) apart. With the back of a wooden spoon, press indentations in the centre of each cookie. Refrigerate the cookies for 2 hours or freeze for 30 minutes.

3. 3

   Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

4. 4

   Fill a small resealable bag with jam, cut a small corner off, and fill each cookie with jam; be sure not to overfill it.

5. 5

   Bake the cookies in the preheated oven, one sheet at a time, for around 11–12 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely on the baking sheets.

6. 6

   In the meantime, whisk the powdered sugar, vanilla and almond extracts, a pinch of salt, corn syrup, and 1 tsp (5ml) of milk in a small bowl. Add more milk if needed to achieve the desired consistency. Drizzle the glaze over the cookies.