Cookies!

So the holidays have officially begun! Happy Holidays!

It’s been a crazy week. I’ve successfully made it through an anniversary, 2 Thanksgiving dinners, got some Christmas stuff done and even made the time to price most of my stuff for the craft show. As I’m sitting here on the couch trying to figure out what to write next, I realize I should talk about what’s sitting quietly in the kitchen. Taking the place of any sort of normal meal since yesterday are the few remaining cookies from the cookie exchange I participated in this past holiday.

For the first time in my “adult” life I was asked to take part in a cookie exchange. Nothing too crazy just 4 dozen cookies to exchange on Thanksgiving…of course my baking skills aren’t the greatest. I really had my heart set on making my Hungarian family recipe for Kolatch or Kolache. I bought all the ingredients and was prepared to take a day after work to bake all of them. Then I had some time management sense talked into me and I decided to make a Thumbprint cookie instead. Much much easier and A LOT less time to make. They turned out so nicely; I’ve decided to share my mom’s recipe. I promise, they’re super easy and don’t have a ton of ingredients but are so good!

Thumbprint Cookies

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cups ground almonds (optional)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup butter (room temp)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

powder sugar (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees, Baking sheets may be ungreased, or lined with parchment paper.

2. Combine flour, ground almonds, baking powder salt, and cinnamon mix. Set aside

3, In a large bowl, combine butter and sugar, cream together until mixtures is light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, vanilla extract. Beat until throughly mixed. Add flour mixture, stir until mixed.

4. Shape dough into small balls, about 1" diameter.

5. Place balls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. With your thumb press an indentation in the center of each ball to hold the filling. Bake 20 minutes or until cookies are set and very lightly browned. Remove cookies from baking sheets and cool on wire racks. When cooled sprinkle with powder sugar (optional)

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Oh, and I will be making Kolatch before Christmas, I’ll just need to find a free weekend to do it!