Most lemon raspberry thumbprints rely on raspberry jam – which is certainly delicious – but for these treats, I wanted a more traditional thumbprint icing. While I adapted a recipe from King Arthur Flour for the cookie itself, the icing is one of my own creation, a simple blend of powdered sugar, raspberry jam, and lemon juice. I hope the icing sets up as well as traditional thumbprint icing, but if not, these cookies will still be delicious.
You can create a perfectly round indentation in your thumbprint cookies by using a teaspoon from your measuring set. I did both the teaspoon method and the literal thumbprint method in this batch of cookies, and have to admit that I prefer the way the teaspoon ones look.
Ingredients
For the cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 2 3/4 cups flour
For the raspberry icing*
- 1/3 cup raspberry jam
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon lemon juice
*These measurements are my best guess – I just kept mixing jam and powdered sugar until I got the flavor that I wanted.
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar, vanilla, lemon extract, lemon zest, and salt until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add egg and beat well to combine.
Add flour in three batches, beating well to combine between each.
Using a 2-inch cookie scoop, scoop dough and roll into balls. Place about 2 inches apart on baking sheets and use a teaspoon measuring spoon or your thumb to create a deep indentation in the center of each cookie.
Bake for 12-24 minutes, until bottoms are very light golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely before icing.
To make the icing, combine jam and powdered sugar in a small bowl and mix well to fully combine; add lemon juice about 1/4 teaspoon at a time to thin out slightly. You want a thick drizzle consistency.
Spoon icing into thumbprints and allow to set before serving. Store in an airtight container between sheets of waxed paper for up to 3 days.
Makes 27 cookies.
amy bakes in the 'burgh 