Cookie Success

I can cook.  I can even bake.  Except for cookies.  Last December, I hosted a cookie exchange at my house.  Four of my friends came, and I served  them a lovely lunch of Shrimp Bisque and coffee punch that was just as good as anything you can get at Starbucks - if I do say so myself.  But, I had no homemade cookies to offer them.  The only cookies I knew how to make were sugar cookies - and that's just because my mother-in-law gave me a lesson on how to make them.  I've helped my mom make Snicker-doodles, but I had never tried to make them on my own.  Well, one of the other girls wanted to make sugar cookies.  I didn't complain.  I thought, "Surely, I can make something else."  I decided to try to make gingerbread cookies.  What.A.Mess.  The dough turned out to be super sticky and I came out with only one good cookie.  The girls were coming over in one hour.  I had flour all over myself.  I still needed a shower - and five dozen cookies.  There is a bakery up the street from our house.  I ran up there, flour and all, and asked them for five dozen cookies.  They had to scramble, but they got them together.  I told the baker about my unfortunate incident with the gingerbread cookies, and he was kind enough to give me his recipe. . .a year later I still haven't gotten up the nerve to attempt it though.

I had to give cookies another try. . .I mean, what kind of mom can't make cookies?  I found this recipe at the Food Network, and I made it last week.

Butter and Jam Thumbprints (From Food Network Kitchens)

Prep Time: 20 min.      Inactive Prep Time:  30 min
Cook Time: 18 min

Serves:  about 24 to 30 cookies

Ingredients:

    * 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
    * 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
    * 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
    * 3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened
    * 2/3 cup sugar, plus more for rolling
    * 1 large egg
    * 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    * 1/3 cup raspberry, cherry or strawberry jam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.

In another bowl, whip the butter and the sugar with a hand-held mixer until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla until just combined. Slowly beat in the dry ingredients in 2 additions, mixing just until incorporated.

Scoop the dough into 1-inch balls with a cookie or ice cream scoop and roll in sugar. Place about 2-inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Press a thumbprint into the center of each ball, about 1/2-inch deep. Fill each indentation with about 3/4 teaspoon jam.

Bake cookies until the edges are golden, about 15 minutes. (For even color, rotate the pans from top to bottom about halfway through baking.) Cool cookies on the baking sheets. Serve.

Store cookies in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days.

They came out great!