Austrian Jam Cookies

Cookie type: formed

My mom originally got the recipe out of a magazine years ago. I don’t know what magazine. These cookies nowadays go by the name thumb print cookies. I like to call them Austrian Jam cookies because they sound more sophisticated that way. I usually double the batch. A single batch will make about 15-18 cookies. A double batch, you will get closer to 3 dozen.

Ingredients

½ cup butter (1 stick), softened (not melted)
½ cup sugar
1 teas vanilla*
1 egg, separated
1 ¼ cup sifted flour
2/3 cup chopped almonds**
your favorite flavor of jam

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Beat butter, sugar, vanilla and egg yolk in a medium bowl until fluffy. Stir in flour. Gather dough into a ball, cover and chill for several hours. Roll level teaspoonful of dough into balls. Dip the ball into a slightly beaten egg white. Roll the ball into the almonds. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Space cookies 1 inch apart. These cookies will not spread very much. Press an indentation with your thumb in the middle of the cookie, careful not to go all the way through to the pan. Fill with jam. Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes.

Hints, tips, tricks and how to cheat

*Almond extract can be used in place of real vanilla.

** Generally, I think the almonds are a little too hard for the rest of the cookie. I usually use walnuts or pecans.

Grease a 9x13" baking pan. In a large mixer bowl, combine all ingredients except preserves. Beat at low speed until mixture is crumbly about 2-3 minutes. Reserve 1 1/2 c of crumb mixture. Press remaining crumb mixture into baking pan.
Spread preserves to within 1/2" from edges of the unbaked crumb mixture. Crumble remaining crumb mix over preserves.
Bake for 40-50 minutes or til lightly browned. Cool completely and cut into bars.
RL`

Be careful, they are addictive !!!!

Apricot Buttons

MAKES: About 3 dozen cookies

Tita Owre, Pecos, NM, writes that her mother's apricot buttons were more than just a Christmas cookie – they were an essential part of every family celebration. Whirl the walnuts in a food processor until very finely ground, or chop very finely with a knife. The buttons are also great filled with raspberry jam.

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 1 hour

About 1 cup (1/2 lb.) butter or margarine, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups finely ground walnuts (see note preceding)
1/2 cup apricot jam

1. In a large bowl, with a mixer on medium speed, beat 1 cup butter and the sugar until smooth. Add egg yolks and vanilla and beat until well blended. Stir in flour and salt and beat just until dough comes together.

2. In a small bowl, beat egg whites to blend. Place walnuts in another small bowl. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Dip each in egg whites, turning to coat completely, then roll in walnuts to coat. Place about 1 inch apart on buttered 12- by 15-inch baking sheets. Press your thumb gently into the center of each cookie to make an imprint.

3. Bake cookies in a 325° regular or convection oven until lightly browned, 18 to 20 minutes; if baking two sheets at once in one oven, switch their positions halfway through baking. Let cookies cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then use a wide spatula to transfer to racks to cool completely.

4. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon jam into the center of each cool cookie.