Cherry Rose Thumbprint Cookies

We made hamentaschen a few weeks ago, and the recipe I developed turned out to yield a LOT of cookies! That said, I was so in love with the dough that I was trying to find ways to ensure these cookies got made more than just once a year.

And once the recipe was halved, it was time to get to work. This dough is pliable, chills beautifully, and has the softest texture without it crumbling once chilled or spreading too much in the oven. I was able to roll and re-roll this dough several times without it losing its shape, which is so impressive, but don’t get out of hand here! It will eventually lose its beautiful shape in the oven if you overwork it (which of course, I did to some of them to really test it!).

I’ve always ignored thumbprint cookies, because to be quite frank, they’re typically not a very sexy option. Most of the choices are a little dried out and old school, and always filled with a classic strawberry jam that feels more like Jell-O than anything else. Or at least that’s how I felt until my honeymoon.

For our honeymoon, we found an incredible, isolated resort in the jungle on the west coast of Mexico. It was gorgeous, but pretty rugged living, so our quarters were actually just a thatched roof and a mosquito net around our bed. Each morning we would hear the coffee bell, and look over to see a platter of hot coffee, all of the coffee accoutrements and a perfect plate of cookies sitting next to the steps to our room. And each day there was a different set of cookies! So we’d rush to the plate, each nibbling one and crying out" “You HAVE to try this one!” On day two or three, we saw a very unassuming sugar cookie with a yellow center. It was a thumbprint cookie filled with pineapple jam, and for whatever reason we saved it for last. I don’t remember who took the first bite, but it was followed by silence, as one of us was trying to decide whether or not they wanted to share it with the other. The cookie itself was vanilla scented, only mildly sweet, and had a crisp edge and a tender middle. The filling was both tart and sweet, I remember it disappearing and then instantly being desperate for another bite.

We became friendly with the staff, and quickly cozied up to the kitchen team to asked them if that cookie could find its way to our plate the next morning, too. It did, and each day after until our last day, when we hugged everyone and sadly said goodbye to the best staff and food we’ve ever had, then or since. Since that trip, I’ve dreamed of that cookie, and not until I tasted the hamentaschen did I feel the muscle memory of those flavors rushing back to me.

This is the answer to all of your (but actually, my) thumbprint cookie dreams. The cookie has a tender, thick crumb, and softens towards the middle as you bite into the tart cherry center, with just a hint of rose and vanilla sneaking into your palette. These delicious treats won’t soon be forgotten, and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll be making these immediately while dreaming of a warm, Spring afternoon.

Cherry Rose Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients

Cookies

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

• 3/4 cup white sugar, plus more for rolling

• 1 egg + 1 egg white

• 1 tablespoon vanilla

Filling

• 1/2 cup high quality cherry jam, I prefer Bonne Maman

• food-safe dried rose petals

Process

Yields about 24 1-ounce cookies.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients in three parts, mixing until just combined and scraping the bowl down each time. Cover and chill the dough for at least 8 hours.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Take cookies out of fridge and let sit for 30 minutes to an hour. Add about 1/4 cup of white sugar to a small bowl and set aside. While dough is coming to temperature, finely chop a small handful of rose petals using a sharp chef’s knife.

Once dough is cold but malleable, roll cookies into 1-ounce balls and coat by rolling the dough ball in the bowl filled with white sugar. Place cookies about 3 inches apart on parchment lined cookie sheet (double lined if pans are lighter in color).

Using the back of a teaspoon, press into the middle of the dough ball until cookies have a teaspoon sized “cup” for filling. Add 1 teaspoon of cherry jam to the center of each cookie. Once filled, sprinkle chopped rose petals over the cherry jam. You want to sprinkle a good pinch, but not so much that you can’t see the jam, or it will taste too flowery. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until edges are golden.

Let cool and serve immediately, or store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days.

Note: If making ahead, dough balls (with jam filling!) can be stored in the freezer until ready to bake. Bake directly from freezer, but add an additional few minutes to the bake time.