Tuesday, March 9, 2010

TWD - Thumbprints for Us Big Guys


Another week, another Tuesday with Dorie recipe. This week, our host is Mike of Ugly Food for an Ugly Dude. Last week, we learned he was a dwarf warrior called Thaddeus from Dungeons and Dragons. This week, we are told to expect a glorious fanfare because it is his TWD pick. And what a good pick it is - Thumbprints for Us Big Guys.

Thumbprints is a US term for these cookies. In Australia, the closest that we have is jam drops, with the same concept, but using a shortbread-style biscuit to drop the jam in, and usually, the jam is put into the cavity before you bake the biscuits. I often got into trouble as a child by being very generous with the jam (the job allocated to me in the jam drop making process), causing it to run over the top of the biscuits and out into the tray.

These particular thumbprints are made with ground hazelnuts - I ground my own, husk and all, hence the flecks in my biscuits. While baking these, I had to remake the "thumbprints", because they tended to disappear as the biscuits rose and spread. These biscuits are very buttery - so buttery that they are a little fragile once fully cooled.

The biscuits are allowed to cool completely before you put the jam in. This makes the biscuits look neater than the jam drops to which I am accustomed. I used dragonberry jam for my thumbprints, made from dragonfruit.


These biscuits were easy enough to make and fuss free - no chilling of dough, just mix and go. They also tasted very nice - melt in the mouth cookies with that sweet spot of jam in the middle.

Thanks to our host, Mike, for this pick. You can check out the recipe on his site. You can also check out the other TWD thumbprint variations by visiting the TWD blogroll.

To close out this post, I am going to show off my two latest cross stitch projects - baby album covers for two friends:




I actually made these over Christmas when I had plenty of time on my hands, as in the hurly burly of every day life, I don't get the time to do projects like this. The stitching has a purple hue, because I didn't know whether the babies would be girls or boys when I made these; as it happens, they are both boys.

28 comments:

The Blonde Duck said...

I love anything with jam and jelly. Yum!

Jules Someone said...

Yours look excellent. I put the jam on when they were still warm. That way it melted just a bit into the indentations.

Flourchild said...

They look great. I loved these cookies..so yummy and So easy to make! My kind of recipe!

Leslie said...

These look great! I skipped the jam (didn't have any) and went with ganache.

TLC said...

go the cross stitching!

Susan said...

Your cookies look great! I have some blackberry jam in the fridge I was thinking about using, but don't know if I am going to get to them.

Nutmeg Nanny said...

Mmmmm cookies and jam...delicious!

Johanna GGG said...

Dragonfruit jam sounds excellent - I didn't know thumbprint cookies were to be filled when cooked - I made some a while ago and cooked the filling in this - maybe it is my Australian cooking style coming through or maybe I misread the recipe!

Love the cross stitches

Thaddeus makes me think of get smart - that was the chief's name

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

I know my mum would love these cookies, thanks Cakelaw! :D And great job with the stitching! You are so talented!

Jessica said...

Well done! I definitely did not grind my own hazelnuts, so props to you!

Unknown said...

Wonderful cookies! I have a thumbprint recipe from Barefoot contessa that i have been dying to try out, but i have so many recipes saved that I never get around to it.
Beautiful job on the cross stitch, I bet your friends you made those for are so happy :)
*kisses* HH

Hindy said...

Your cookies were a bit fragile? Mine were very solid and I used hazelnuts w/ husks too. I wonder what the difference was?
Yours look delicious!

Soy*Baby said...

Great looking cookies. I love the cross stitch covers. There are all these wonderful hobbies that I wish I had time to do.

Cindy said...

Beautiful cookies, I can taste their buttery goodness.
Love the counted cross stitch. I did a lot of fun cross stitch projects--when my eyes were younger. Enjoy your blog.

Brenda said...

That's so good you ground your own hazelnuts, I think it adds to the overall appearance of the cookie. Making it look that much more wholesome if that makes sense hahahaha!

Your cross stitch is so cute!

TeaLady said...

These were really good, weren't they. And yours look great.

Dragonberry jam sounds REALLY interesting.

Jennifer said...

That jam sounds very interesting! Your thumbprints look amazing!!!!

I LOVE the baby albums!!!!

Mimi said...

Your cookies look great. They are way to easy to eat.
What beautiful counted cross stitch.
Mimi

Pamela said...

How thoughtful of you to make those covers for your friends! And your cookies look very nice, too.

Anonymous said...

Tumbprint cookies. Yum! I love cross stich although haven't made them for ages.

Ivy said...

I love this recipe and will surely make some soon.

veron said...

Simply adorable cookies and so is your cross-stitch!

Conor @ HoldtheBeef said...

I like how the name of these makes you imagine someone with their thumb sticking right into the thing you're about to eat :D

Very curious to try dragonfruit jam!

aforkfulofspaghetti said...

I love this kind of thing. So simple, but so good - especially with a great splodge of great jam in the middle... ;)

aforkfulofspaghetti said...

Your cross-stitch are very cute!

And, of course, so are the cookies. Lots of jammy loveliness! I haven't had anything like this in ages, but very reminiscent of childhood favourites.

Julia @Mélanger said...

I haven't made cookies for so long. I just love simple ones like this. Fantastic!

The Caked Crusader said...

I love this kind of biscuit - delicious to eat and oh so satisfying to make!

Finla said...

For somewho had not had chocolate for 15 days this just looks so so good. I am not making or having chocolate for a month as hubby is ona detoxing period. So joined in with him.
I so so wishi could grab a big slice.