Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies Recipe: Quick & Easy

I am a positive person by nature. For the most part, I happily find the silver lining if at all possible. That being said, I am also a very mercurial person. Too hot and I’m begging for the air conditioning. Fifteen minutes later, I’m looking for a sweater, wondering why we keep the thermostat so low. Maybe an hour later, I’m ready to start up another Ice Bucket Challenge. Round and round and round… and round. When I adapt to my surroundings, I tend to become a bit petulant.

I am the same about weather in general. All too often I find myself wishing for warmer weather, only to complain that the temperatures I love best don’t stick around as long as I want. I don’t like to be cold, but I don’t like to be too hot either. I think I must have been Goldilocks in a past life– I understand her completely. Certain temperatures are needed for certain activities and comfort, in my opinion. Is it too much to ask that I set the outside temperatures, dependent on my chosen activity?! See, whiner. I have other redeeming qualities, I think, bless my heart.

With the warmer Spring temperatures that don’t stay as often as I wish as Mother Nature wakes from her Winter nap, bleary eyed and stretching, I find myself eager to initiate Summer in our home any way I can. There is one thing that never fails to make me feel more Summery: Fruit! I wax quite poetic thinking of picking cherries that burst flavor over the tongue, the undeniable scent of the apple orchards that surround us here in Washington State, and the fresh, sweet flavors of raspberries, strawberries, and, well… all berries of summer. Visions of raspberries danced in my head, so I couldn’t resist making my favorite fruit cookies:

Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies! Just like my Bon Bons, these almond cookies are so flaky, so buttery, they’ll melt in your mouth and straight to your glad heart. Where those lovelies boast the perfection of almond and chocolate (you could even say the cookie Kisses the chocolate– puns, I love them), these Thumbprint cookies meld the perfection of almond and fruit. While you can use any fruit preserve you’d like, I love raspberry best, myself. Here’s what you need to make Summer in your home, too.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Butter, softened
2/3 cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 tsp. Almond Extract
2 cups All-purpose Flour
1/2 cup seedless Red Raspberry Jam
1 cup Powdered Sugar
3 to 4 tsp. Water
1 1/2 tsp. Almond Extract

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat your butter at a medium speed for approximately 30 seconds.

Add the 2/3 cup granulated white sugar. Cream together on a medium speed for 2 minutes. The longer you cream your sugar and butter mixture, the more smooth and melt-n-your mouth your cookies will be.

Next, add in the 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Beat until well incorporated.

Slowly mix in your all-purpose flour, until the entire two cups are mixed in, without over stirring.

I could eat this dough raw, it is that good. I wouldn’t even feel guilty about it, either, because it doesn’t have eggs. But I love the end result more than I love the dough, so I resist. Barely.

Cover and chill in the refrigerator for up to one hour. Because I am a perfectionist, I follow times pretty closely when given in recipes. If it says 2 minutes, I actually set a timer for 2 minutes. However, I know not everyone is like that. Chilling your dough is meant to make it a little easier to work with during the “thumbprint” steps. With the dough cold, you can more easily press down the imprint without it being too soft or too sticky. But 1 hour isn’t always the exact time needed for that correct consistency. So even though I suggest 1 hour, you do not even need to chill it at all for the cookies to turn out if you would rather soldier on without delay. But because I am set in my perfectionist ways, the 60-minute timer is descending at its predictable, reliable countdown to zero.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Like my Lemon and Peanut Butter Oreo Truffles, I used the Tablespoon cookie form scoop. Place them 2- inches apart on an ungreased or parchment lined baking sheet.

Using your thumb, or a 1/2 tsp. measuring spoon (my perfectionist tendencies likes the evenly flat indent capabilities of the spoon), press an indentation into the center of each ball.

Stir your red raspberry jam (or a flavor of your choosing) at a brisk pace to make it as mixed and thin as possible. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of the jam into each indentation.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes, or until edges are a light brown. Cool on baking sheet for approximately 1 minute before removing to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Because I tend to make a colossal mess when I glaze (or bake in general, if I’m being honest), I placed my cooled cookies, along with the wire cooling rack, back onto the baking sheet lined with parchment. Once I was done glazing, I simply had to roll up the parchment and throw it away. Reused parchment for easy clean up– win, win!

FOR THE GLAZE

In a medium mixing bowl, combine 1 cup powdered sugar with 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract and one teaspoon water. Stir, adding in a teaspoon of water at a time, until it becomes the drizzling consistency you desire. Drizzle each cookie with icing.

Because we love our glaze almost as much as we love the cookie, I have never had excess glaze, choosing to look at each cookie with a critical eye for even distribution.

RASPBERRY ALMOND THUMBPRINT COOKIE RECIPE

Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies

A fruity, light and buttery almond cookie that will have you making Summer all-year long!

Cookies

1 cup Butter, softened
2/3 cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 tsp. Almond Extract
2 cups All-purpose Flour
1/2 cup seedless Red Raspberry Jam

Glaze

1 cup Powdered Sugar
1 1/2 tsp. Almond Extract
3 to 4 tsp. Water

Beat butter on a medium speed for approximately 30 seconds. Add in granulated sugar and cream together for approximately 2 minutes. *The longer you cream your butter and sugar, the more smooth your cookie will be. Add in almond extract, mix well.
Slowly incorporate in your all-purpose flour, making sure you do not over stir. Cover and chill dough in the fridge for approximately 1 hour. *The colder dough makes for easier handling and indentation without sticking. You can judge for yourself the actual time needed for chilling.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place dough balls 2 inches apart on an un-greased or parchment lined baking sheet. Using your thumb or 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon, press an indentation into the center of each ball. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of the jam into each indentation.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, or until edges are a light brown. Cool on baking sheet for about 1 minute before removing to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
For the glaze:

In a medium mixing bowl, combine your powdered sugar with the almond extract and 1 teaspoon of water. As you stir, judging the consistency of your glaze, continue adding 1 teaspoon of water, until you have the consistency you’d like. Drizzle your glaze over each cookie.

While I love these cookies at any temperature, I will say that if you eat them after about 10 minutes of cooling, just after you’ve finished glazing, you could almost close your eyes and believe you’re eating a slice of pie. What’s more Summer than Pie, I ask you?! Especially Cherry Pie!

OTHER SUMMER RECIPES YOU MAY ENJOY

Click {here} for a quick and easy paper craft gift bag for a cute presentation of these delicious cookies!

Sometimes having what we wish for can make us wish for something else. I’m a work in progress, that’s for sure. One day I hope to grow up and grow out of my whiny ways. Until then, I’ll make Summer when I want, even if Mother Nature chooses outdoor temperatures that don’t match my opinion of what it should be for the activity I have chosen. Try a few different flavors for your Thumbprint Cookies and tell me which flavor you like best!

~Steph

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