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Thumbprint Cookies with Jam & Some News To Share!

Thumbprint Cookies with Jam

Tis the season for cookies and homemade baked goods and treats.   We made it through the year and now it’s time to celebrate with delicious culinary delights with the people we care about and get ready to start a whole new year!

I have some fun news to share.   I’ve been accepted as a recipe tester for Leite’s Culinaria.    I enjoy recipe testing…but unlike what I do here on my Teenie Cakes site…some of my own recipes -OR-  modify and change recipes and their ingredients a bit as I please, I’m not at liberty to make those adjustments as a recipe tester for another source.   It’s a different mindset and I’m so excited to be a part of this group!    Because of my technical background, being a tester is not too far from one of my ground-roots passion  as a programmer.   With the recipes I test, I’ll be sharing my notes (like I do with Teenie Notes) and share supporting images/photography.    I’ll also provide a link to the recipe at Leite’s Culinaria.    I won’t be posting the actual recipes I test on my site.

So, to sum all that up, I’ll still be sharing baking, cooking, wine and foodie musings – same as before, except for those recipes I’m testing for Leite’s Culinaria – where I’ll be linking to the recipe I tested.   🙂

A couple of weeks ago, I baked up some Thumbprint Cookies for my first testing review.     These little jeweled gems were fun to make and full of nut-buttery goodness.  They can be as colorful as your imagination will take you by the type of jam you select in combination with the type of nuts you use as the base of your thumbprint treats.   It’s a tasty, versatile cookie that can be changed up by using complimentary flavors in the nuts you select and the jams or preserves you pair it with.    Also, this is the type of cookie that the kids, teens – young and old could enjoy helping out with.   While you’re busy with other culinary tasks, they can fill the already baked and imprinted cookies you’ve completed, with jams and filling of their choice.

Thumbprint Cookies with Jam

I jumped at trying these cookies because the original title of the recipe was “Pine Nut Thumbprint Cookies with Fig Jam.” However, using pine nuts may be a challenge for many due to the pine nuts’ current extraordinary expense in the markets. I used walnuts instead and, because of its color and festive appearance and taste, red currant jam as the filling during the testing and then later tried raspberry preserves and apricot jam for the cookies pictured.     I didn’t think about this until after the fact, but if you’re using walnuts as the base, Nutella might also be a nice sweet filling!

Teenie Notes

  • I really liked the end result of the cookie.
  • Because the dough is stiff (as noted in the recipe), using a “stand mixer” instead of a hand mixer will make mixing much easier.
  • Cream the butter first before adding the sugar, honey and vanilla.
  • Scrap the sides of the mixing bowl constantly.
  • For more consistent sized cookies, using a small cookie scoop the size of a walnut would be helpful.
  • Using 1/4 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon of jam is about right. 1/2 teaspoon may be too much.
  • Recipe made 56 cookies.
  • Check out the recipe and other reviews: Mix-and-Match Thumbprint Cookies on Leite’s Culinaria.

Thumbprint Cookies with Jam

Disclosure
As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received a REAL Butter Holiday Baking kit. Some of those items included in the kit were used to assemble these Thumbprint Cookies.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  11. Liana @ femme fraiche says

    I love thumbprint cookies. I usually put Hershey’s kisses in mine but I like the jam idea much more! And your little tips are so helpful…sometimes a recipe is not as easy as it reads…

  12. Monet says

    Well congratulations on becoming a tester! How exciting and well-deserved! I can’t wait to see more of these recipes and to read your always delightful notes. You are one talented baker, my friend, and I trust you immensely when it comes to high-quality recipes. These jam thumbprint cookies look delicious. I love making and eating these little gems! Thanks for sharing!

  13. Pachecopatty says

    Hi Cristina, Congrats on becoming an official recipe tester and I guess that means taster as well, yum!
    These may be the most beautiful jam filled thumbprint cookies I’ve ever seen, they look like jewels:)

  14. Chef Dennis says

    Hi Christina
    Congrats on being accepted as a tester!! what fun that will be! I do have to say your cookies came out much better than what was posted on LC…..I think they should just hire you to do their blog photo’s and baking!!
    Have an excellent weekend!
    Dennis

  17. Emily Z says

    Recipe testing sounds fun! Congrats on a fun opportunity! And your cookies look utterly delicious. I am so loving what I am seeing posted around the food blogging world this time of year. I’ll get around to baking, eventually!

  18. Lindsey @ Gingerbread Bagels says

    I’m so happy for you Cristina, what exciting news! 🙂 You’re going to be an incredible recipe tester and I’m looking forward to seeing all of the recipes you’ll be testing. The thumbprint cookies look soooo delicious and beautiful. I make thumbprint cookies every year for Christmas and they’re one of my favorites.

  19. Evan @swEEts says

    I made thumbprint cookies recently too.. but I must admit, yours definitely outshine mine! And I love the idea of a nutella filling too.. congrats on the recipe tester gig 🙂

  21. fooddreamer says

    Hey congrats on the recipe testing! Sounds like a lot of fun. The cookies are so darn pretty, I might not want to eat them. But then I would. And then they would be gone, and not so pretty anymore 😉

  25. Jasmine says

    Congratulations for being selected by Leite’s Cunlinaria. I’m sure they will not be disappointed by their selection. Hope you have lots of fun recipe testing. I’m proud of you and thanks for sharing your good news.

    Those little Thumbprint cookies look nice and colorful. Perfect for the holidays. Do they taste good?

    • Cristina - Teenie Cakes says

      Hi Jasmine and thank you for that. Yes, the cookies are addictingly (is that a word) delish…buttery goodness with nuts! You will luv these…I’m going to make you a batch and send some your way. 🙂

  26. Sara says

    Congratulations Cristina! I’m looking forward to hear all about your adventures as recipe tester! Sounds lot of fun

    • Cristina - Teenie Cakes says

      Thanks Sara 🙂 I thought about you when working on this recipe because you bake with children…this might be a fun one to try with them. However, the dough is quite stiff when mixing…but filling them and sprinkling chopped up nuts on them is the fun part (the best part is eating ’em).

  31. Liren says

    What an exciting opportunity! Enjoy the testing (I’m sure it will be hard to resist tweaking). These thumb print cookies are just adorable – I’m already imagining all sorts of ways to enjoy them!

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