Thumbprints

Here it's time to really get moving on the Christmas cookie baking, and I haven't posted since September! I have been busy baking cookies, though. So far:

Raspberry Vinegar Cookies*
Lemon Gems*
Mini Fruitcake*
Coffee Snaps
Chocolate Euphoria Bars*
Chocolate Marshmallow Bars
Apricot Jam-filled Bars
Peppermint Meltaways*
Forgotten Cookies*
Peanut Butter Blossoms*
Peanut Butter Cup Cookies*
Chocolate-Covered Double-Stuf Oreos
White Chocolate-Covered Vanilla Oreos
Thumbprints
Orange Cookies
Chocolate-dipped Coconut Macaroons*
Mini Cheesecakes*
The ones with an asterisk are recipes that are already on the blog. There are at least 5 more kinds I would like to make before Christmas!

The recipe for today comes straight out of the Betty Crocker Cookbook, one of my favorites for finding good, basic recipes. I've used the Quiche Lorraine recipe so often that the book falls open to that page! The Thumbprints can be made using either jelly or confectioners sugar icing to fill the dent; I prefer the icing because I think it stays in place better once it sets up, and you can go a little crazy with the colors like the blue frosting with the iridescent pink/blue/purple sprinkles (and, yes, I know I need to do a better job with the photos). I like to roll the edge of the cookie in sprinkles to add some color, though the one pictured above overdosed on the sprinkles - from which I learned to ignore the part of the recipe that suggests you roll the balls in egg whites before cooking - they get too sticky and pick up a massive amount of sprinkles. This cookie has a better proportion of visible cookie to sprinkles:

THUMBPRINT COOKIES

1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 egg, separated
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup finely chopped nuts (optional)
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix thoroughly butter, shortening, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla. Work in flour and salt until dough holds together. Shape dough by teaspoonfuls into one inch balls. Beat egg whites slightly. Dip each ball into egg white; roll in nuts. [Do not use the egg white if you are substituting sprinkles for the nuts!] Press thumb deeply into the center of each. [If the dough is too cold, the edges of the cookie will split. If you have longer nails, using your thumb doesn't work too well. I use a plastic wine cork, dipping it into flour every other cookie or so to keep it from sticking.] Bake about ten minutes or until light brown. Immediately remove from baking sheet; cool. Fill cooled cookies with jelly or icing.

EASY CONFECTIONERS' SUGAR ICING
Mix two cups confectioners' sugar with 2 tablespoons plus one teaspoon of milk until smooth. Add food coloring if desired.