When I was growing up, one of our family traditions was my Grandma Werge’s Raspberry Thumbprint cookies. This is a picture of her and my grandfather when I was born – that’s me in the blanket, with my mother holding me.
She didn’t share this recipe with anyone! But somehow my husband charmed her out of it the year before she passed away, so it managed to stay in the family. And now I am a grandmother, sharing it with you 32 years later. The best way to print this recipe is to use the green “Print Friendly” button at the bottom of this page.
Grandma Werge’s Thumbprint Cookies
Makes 3 – 4 dozen cookies, depending on how much you snitch.
- 1 cup softened butter
- 1 cup of sugar, separated
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam (or your favorite)
A quick grandma note: use the real thing whenever possible. Real butter, real almond extract, good quality jam. If you want to amend the recipe, make it this way at least once, so you know what it tastes like.
Combine butter, 2/3 cup sugar & almond extract. Beat at medium speed until creamed. Scrape sides of bowl, cover & refrigerate for at least an hour. Use that time to make the glaze.
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 teaspoons water
- 1-1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- add 2 teaspoons of baking cocoa to the glaze if you want.
Combine the glaze ingredients and drizzle or pipe over cookies after they are cool. Don’t do it while they are hot or warm. If you don’t have a piping bag, you can make one by putting the glaze in a plastic sandwich bag and cutting off a very tiny corner.
Before we go back to the cookies, can I brag about my grandkids? As a Christmas gift to ourselves, we are talking down the wall between the kitchen and the dining room. They are helping.
Ok, your cookies should be cold enough now. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While that is heating up, shape the dough into 1 inch balls and roll them in the remaining sugar. You could add red or green sprinkles to the sugar if you wanted.
Place 2″ apart on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Gently press your thumb into the dough ball and fill the depression with jelly. Bake 14 – 18 minutes until the edges are lightly browned.
Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for a minute or two before placing the cookies on a wire rack to cool completely. Sometimes my grandmother would use these minutes to press her thumb in the soft cookie and add the jelly. She would always burn her thumb, but she liked these cookies better.
After they have cooled, you can glaze them. (The ones below got eaten immediately after the picture was taken. No time for glaze!)
PS – If you want to distract someone from noticing that you are taking a cookie, just say, “Look! The Hindenburg!” and point to a corner. Works every time.
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