12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies Finale

This is the final week of the 12 WOCC, and although I don't have a cookie for you, I am linking up so that I can see what everyone else baked!

Thank you so much for baking along this year, it was a ton of fun and so many new recipes to try!

Happy Holidays!!!


Week 12 Twelve Weeks of Christmas:

Holidays....

The holidays are here and upon us and I honestly am having a hard time finding the time to even sit and think for a few minutes to myself. With that said I am taking a break until after the first of the year. I know, my fellow cookie bakers, I am bailing on you the last 2 weeks, and I am sorry, but honestly don't see cookie baking in my future until the week of Christmas. The next 2 weekends I am out of town and with holiday parties, kids chorus concerts, high school wrestling...they come first and then baking is second. That is just life for me right now.

I hope that everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Thumbprint Cookies-Week 10

One of my favorite cookies...I know, I say that alot, is thumbprint cookies. I am not sure what it is about them that I will choose first off of a goodie tray. I have shown you the Butter Meltaways that were filled with that sweet cream cheese filling, this week I am going with a butter cookie filled with your choice of jam. I have used raspberry, strawberry and apricot and all of them went well together, although my preference would be the tanginess of raspberry.

So here we are at week 10, only 2 more to go. I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season so far!

Giant's Thumbprint Cookies
from: Gale Gand

8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, soft insides scraped out
1/8 tsp salt
2 cups plus 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 cup jam of your choice

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter 3 sheep pans or use 1 pan and bake the cookies in 3 batches.

Cream the butter and sugar in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer) until fluffy. Add the vanilla scrapings and salt and mix until incorporated. Add the flour and mix at low speed until incorporated.

Using your hands, roll the dough into golf ball size balls and arrange them 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet flattening them out a bit as you go. Using your thumb, press the top of each cookie to make a shallow well. Roll your thumb back and forth to widen the well. Using a small spoon, fill the wells with jam.

Bake until very lightly browned around the edges, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool slightly on the pan, then transfer to a rack to finish cooling. Store in an air tight container.

Week 10 Twelve Weeks of Christmas: