BB: Jam Thumbprint Cookies

I'll just cut right to the chase. These cookies are amazing. Usually whenever I make cookies, my husband and I will have them over the course of a few days and then end up tossing the rest because they're stale or we've lost interest. Very infrequently (unless I ship them off to work with my husband) does every cookie get consumed. This time, diet be damned, we finished them off in a little more than a weekend.

Cassandra, of Foodie with Little Thyme, chose the second recipe for April, these jam thumbprint cookies. The cookie itself is very similar to a shortbread, and then it gets rolled in coconut, and is topped off with a bit of jam. These are "party in your mouth" good, and really don't require a huge amount of effort. I made half of them with apricot preserves and half of them with raspberry, because the original recipe suggested those and I couldn't pick just one flavor. I can not wait to make these again, trying out other preserves flavors. Be sure to check here to see how the other Barefoot Bloggers did with this.

Jam Thumbprint Cookies

from Barefoot Contessa Family Style, p. 208 and can also be found here

makes 32 cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 lb. (3 sticks) butter, at room temperature

1 C. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 1/2 C. flour

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1 egg beaten with 1 Tbs. water, for egg wash

7 oz. sweetened flaked coconut

apricot and/ or raspberry jam

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar just until combined.

Add the vanilla.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and salt.

With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture.

Mix until the dough starts to come together.

Dump the dough out onto a floured surface and roll together to form a flat disk.

Wrap the dough in plastic and put in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough into 1 1/4 inch balls (if using a scale, each ball should weigh one ounce).

Dip each ball into the egg wash and then roll in coconut.

Place balls on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Make an indent with your fingers in the top of each ball.

Put 1/4 tsp. of jam into each indentation.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the coconut is golden brown.