Cranberry Jam Thumbprints

This year’s More Time tasty holiday winner is a thumbprint cookie filled with my Cranberry Jam and drizzled with white chocolate. Instead of reinventing the wheel, I adapted the delicious basic butter cookie from Classic Thumbprint Cookies With Jam by Siobhan Adcock. I’ve attached a recipe for my own homemade cranberry jam, but you could buy a jar of seedless raspberry preserves and use that instead. Begin at least a day ahead as the jam needs to rest overnight in the fridge and the dough needs 1-24 hours refrigeration. Read through before beginning and make just a few cookies to start with to get the hang of the process. Merry baking!!

makes 2 ½ - 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks or 8 oz) salted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon EACH: vanilla and almond extract - can use 2 tsp vanilla instead
2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon orange zest
½ cup homemade cranberry jam (Recipe below—make at least a day ahead. It makes about 2 cups.) Can sub seedless raspberry jam.
½ cup 3 oz white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate melted for drizzle – can sub milk or dark chocolate chips

Instructions

BEAT WET INGREDIENTS: In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine butter and sugar and beat (cream) on medium speed until light and fluffy –about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat for an additional minute.
ADD DRY INGREDIENTS/MIX/REFRIGERATE 1-24 HOURS: On top of the butter mixture, add the flour, baking soda, kosher salt, and orange zest. Stir dry ingredients together lightly and then turn mixer onto low speed, mixing dry and wet ingredients until just well-combined. Shape into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour/up to 24 hours.
PREHEAT OVEN/ROLL DOUGH INTO BALLS/FILL WITH CRANBERRY JAM: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place rack in the center of the oven. Let jam sit out or microwave and stir briefly to warm up a little before using. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough into 1-inch balls (you may have to let the dough warm up a bit on the counter if it’s been in the fridge overnight) and place 3-inches apart on prepared cookie sheet. Using the end of a wooden spoon (1/2-inch in diameter) or your thumb, make an indentation in the center of each cookie about ¾ of the way through the cookie, rerolling if the dough cracks. Using a 1/2-teaspoon measuring spoon (or other small spoon), fill with jam, being careful to not overfill or the cookies will spread, and the jam will escape.
BAKE/COOL: Bake one sheet at a time 11-13 minutes OR until bottoms of cookies are just golden. Cool on sheet on rack 2-5 minutes before transferring to rack to cool completely.
DRIZZLE WITH MELTED CHOCOLATE/LET DRY: Heat the chocolate on 50% power in the microwave for one minute and then stir or whisk until smooth. If needed, heat again for 10-seconds at a time until chocolate is melted. You can also melt chocolate in a heat-proof bowl over simmering water on the stovetop. Using a fork, drizzle chocolate over cooled cookies letting a little chocolate fall back into the cup before gently waving the fork over the cookies. Continue to stir or whisk chocolate to keep it smooth as you decorate the other batches. You can also spoon melted chocolate into a small storage bag, snip a tiny corner, and, squeezing carefully, drizzle chocolate. Let drizzled cookies set several hours drying before storing in an airtight container for up to 3 days (layer with waxed paper), in the refrigerator for a week, or in the freezer for 6 months. If freezing, do not add chocolate drizzle until cookies are thawed.

Notes

CRANBERRY JAM: makes about a pint (Use extra on waffles, biscuits, pancakes or toast.)

Make at least a day ahead or up to a week, storing tightly covered in the refrigerator. Jam can also be frozen. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. After chilling, remove lid and let sit on counter for 30-60 minutes or warm briefly in the microwave (stir afterward) before using in cookies.

• 12-ounce bag (3 ½ cups) fresh or frozen cranberries (don’t thaw frozen berries)

• ½ peeled and cored medium apple, cut into small dice

• 2 cinnamon sticks

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1 cup water

• Zest and juice of a large orange

Add all ingredients to a heavy 2 or 3-quart saucepan and stir. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook 20-30 minutes, stirring regularly, until thickened. Remove and discard cinnamon sticks. Pour jam into a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl and using the back of a wooden spoon, force through, scraping bottom of sieve several times. Discard solids or save to stir into plain yogurt. Cool and store overnight tightly covered or up to a week in the refrigerator. The jam will set up more after refrigerating but will still be rather thin – exactly what you want for the cookies.