Holiday Thumbprint Cookies using Ball® Strawberry Honey Butter
Christmas is fast approaching! As a child, one of my strongest memories of celebrating Christmas was spending time at my grandma's house and sneaking cookies off of her elaborate dessert bar. She loved to make every type of Christmas cookie you could think of and package them in a big box to send to family and friends that lived far away. I'll always remember eating the kind that were made with almond extract and shaped like little green Christmas trees and pale pink candy canes; they were my favorite! I decided to recreate an old favorite that also uses almond for a delicious flavor. These Holiday Thumbprint Cookies are filled with preserves I made over the summer from a Ball Canning approved recipe, Strawberry Honey Butter. Rather than using a traditional jam, I found the fruit butter created a more compact and richer flavor for these cookies! They turned out so so yummy and barely lasted a day. Drizzled with almond glaze, you'll instantly fall in love. Trust me!
ingredients & recipe:
MAKES ABOUT 3 DOZEN COOKIES
2 cups + 2 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup jam of choice (Ball® Strawberry Honey Butter, Strawberry, Blueberry, Peach, Raspberry, etc)
FOR THE GLAZE:
1.5 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp almond extract
2 tbsp milk
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat your oven to 350.
In an electric mixer, whip together the butter and sugar until fluffy.
Add the almond extract, salt, and flour. Mix on medium speed until a dough forms; it may be crumbly and can be worked with your hands.
Scoop out 1 tbsp of dough and shape into balls for each cookie. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. With your thumb or finger, make a small indentation in each cookies. Fill with 1/4 - 1/2 tsp jam of your choice.
If you can, chill the cookies this way in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Bake 16-18 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
Whisk the glaze ingredients together. Spoon over the cookies. Allow to harden and store finished cookies at room temperature in an airtight container.
This Strawberry Honey Butter is a little bit tangy, which gives it a really unique flavor when paired with the almond extract. They were a big hit with my family! I think you’ll enjoy this new take on the classic jam thumbprint cookie.
xoxo Kayla
This post is sponsored by Ball Canning
