Cranberry Thumbprint Cookies

Though I’m fully trained in all things turkey (thank you Butterball University!), I wasn’t a huge contributor to Thanksgiving dinner at my parents’ house. Because I had just gotten back from my trip a couple days earlier and was playing major catch-up with work (still am!), I didn’t have time to do much of anything. But I did want to bring a little something. So, I settled on Martha Stewart’s Cranberry Thumbprint Cookies. They’re both festive and simple-looking; not to mention, I love anything with cranberries (and had 2 bags in the freezer!).

Cranberry Thumbprints (makes about 2 dozen)

For the cookies:

• 1 C all-purpose flour
• 1/2 C yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
• 1/2 t coarse salt
• 4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 C plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 t finely grated orange zest
• 1 large egg, separated

For the filling:

• 4 oz. fresh cranberries (1 cup)
• 1/2 C water, plus more if needed
• 1/4 C sugar
• 1 strip (2 inches) orange zest

Then beat the butter and 1/2 C of sugar on medium speed in a separate bowl until pale and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add orange zest and egg yoke and mix well.

Then on low speed, add the flour mixture until just combined.

Whisk the egg white in a little bowl. And put the remaining 1 T sugar on a separate plate. Take about 2 teaspoons of dough, roll into a ball, dip into the egg white, and then roll in sugar. Place on baking tray. It is really, really ideal if you line your baking tray with parchment paper. I happened to be out of it and was baking ate night, so I had to use butter (and then tried PAM). These cookies stuck like crazy. You might also want to add some more sugar to roll them in… 1 T definitely wasn’t quite enough for me!

Place about 1 inch apart and gently press center of dough with your thumb to make a little imprint.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-17 minutes, rotating trays halfway through.

In a small saucepan, add cranberries, water, sugar, and orange zest. Bring to a boil over medium-heat.

Reduce the heat and simmer gently, gently mashing the cranberries until they’re thick and “jam-like” 5-6 minutes. If you need to add more water to thin it out a bit, you can.

Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely- I put mine in the fridge and it didn’t take too long.

Once the cookies are cooled, spoon a small amount of filling into the indentation.

I love the way these cookies look, though I must say they don’t really transport too well. But I was a big fan of the sweetness of the cookie combined with the tartness of the cranberry filling.

I’ll definitely give these cookies another go for the upcoming holidays; but this time with parchment paper and maybe a little bit more orange zest. Mmm just looking at these is making me crave another big serving of cranberry sauce!

[Sues]