Thumbprint cookies: you know you love them. But do you prefer thumbprints with a blob of icing in the middle, or jam? For me, it depends on the day. And yesterday I decided that an apricot thumbprint would be a great idea, thanks to the jar of apricot preserves I had on hand. Fortunately I found this recipe from Knead Some Sweets, and it is absolutely delicious; I adapted it slightly because I didn’t have salted butter on hand, but you can always just add some salt to your dough to make up for that.

This dough is incredibly buttery – and honestly would make a great cookie on its own, without any thumbprinting. You could certainly substitute a different jam if you like, but I think the sharper apricot flavor balances the buttery flavor of the dough really well. These would be great with raspberry or blackberry jam, too.

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• About 1/2 cup apricot preserves

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter, sugars, and salt until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk and vanilla and beat to combine, then add flour and mix on low to combine completely.

Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, scoop generous portions of dough and roll into balls – you want the portions to be about the size of a gumball, or walnut. Place on the baking sheets and use a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon to make the thumbprint indentation. Spoon (or pipe from a piping bag, as I did) apricot preserves into the thumbprints. You can be a little more generous with your preserves, as these cookies spread a bit when baking and you’ll want the preserves to fill out the thumbprint.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until edges are golden. Remove from oven and cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. Makes 27.