pat's Recipe

Thumbprints and Ball Cookies

Category: Cookies

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions
Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Beat butter and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and beat until combined. Proceed with variations:

For Thumbprints:
3/4 cup chopped pecans, crushed peppermints, or sanding sugar
1/2 cup apricot jam, raspberry jam, or 1 batch Ganache
1 cup chopped dried fruit mixed with 1 tablespoon fruit jam or 1 cup chopped candied orange peel

For Ball Cookies:
1/2 cup sanding sugar or 1 cup crushed peppermints
1 1/2 cups melted chocolate (12 ounces) plus 1/3 cup crushed peppermints

Directions
Roll dough into 1-inch balls. (For marbleized cookies, roll out a 1/2-inch-thick rope each of vanilla and chocolate dough. Pinch 3/4-inch piece from each rope and roll together into a ball.) Roll in finely chopped nuts, crushed candies, or sanding sugar, if using. Arrange on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing each 1 inch apart.
For thumbprints: Press a well into the center of each using your finger. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 7 minutes. Remove from oven, and press well again with handle end of a wooden spoon. Bake until firm, 7 to 9 minutes more.

For ball cookies: Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees until firm, 14 to 16 minutes.
Let cool completely. Spoon jam, Ganache, dried fruit, or candied orange filling into thumbprints. For Chocolate-Dipped Ball Cookies, dip cooled cookies in melted chocolate; sprinkle with candies, and let set in refrigerator.

Makes about 5 dozen.