Grammy's Recipe Book Desserts
Thumb Print Cookies
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Rest
- 15 mincool
- Total
- 1 hr 25 minstart to eating
Times are our estimates for Grammy's recipe, with unhurried prep.
As written
Word for word from her page, with her spelling and line breaks. [?] marks a word we couldn't read.
Thumb Print Cookies
350° Phyllis Caramanica
1 cup butter - softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 egg yolks - save whites
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups sifted flour
1 cup finely chopped nuts
current jelly
Cream butter. Beat in sugar,
yolks, vanilla, add flour.
Form into balls 1" on waxed
paper. Dip balls into egg
whites. Roll into chopped
nuts. Place on greased
cookie sheet. Press with
thumb. Fill with current
jelly. Bake 10 minutes. 350°
[down the margin, in red, headed "DBL":]
2 / 1 / 4 / 2 / 4 / 2
350° Phyllis Caramanica
1 cup butter - softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 egg yolks - save whites
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups sifted flour
1 cup finely chopped nuts
current jelly
Cream butter. Beat in sugar,
yolks, vanilla, add flour.
Form into balls 1" on waxed
paper. Dip balls into egg
whites. Roll into chopped
nuts. Place on greased
cookie sheet. Press with
thumb. Fill with current
jelly. Bake 10 minutes. 350°
[down the margin, in red, headed "DBL":]
2 / 1 / 4 / 2 / 4 / 2
Grammy's recipe
Her recipe, typed out to cook from: her amounts and her words, with abbreviations spelled out and the steps numbered.
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 egg yolks (save the whites)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups sifted flour
- 1 cup finely chopped nuts
- Currant jelly
Method
- Heat the oven to 350°.
- Cream the butter. Beat in the sugar, yolks and vanilla, then add the flour.
- Form into 1-inch balls on waxed paper.
- Dip the balls into the egg whites, then roll them in the chopped nuts.
- Place on a greased cookie sheet and press each one with your thumb.
- Fill with currant jelly and bake 10 minutes at 350°.
Modernized
A present-day cookbook version, with missing steps filled in. These are suggestions, not her words.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large egg yolks (save the whites)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup walnuts or pecans, finely chopped
- ⅓ cup red currant jelly or seedless raspberry jam
Method
- Beat the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the yolks, vanilla and salt, then mix in the flour.
- Chill the dough 30 minutes so the balls hold their shape.
- Heat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment.
- Roll 1-inch balls, dip each in the lightly beaten egg whites, then roll in the nuts.
- Place 1½ inches apart and press a deep dent in each with your thumb or the back of a ½-teaspoon measure.
- Bake 8 minutes, re-press the dents if they puffed, then bake 5–7 minutes more until lightly golden.
- Cool, then fill each dent with jelly.
Ideas to play with
Twists and variations to try. Suggestions, not hers.
Apricot and raspberry
Fill half with apricot jam and half with raspberry for a mixed Christmas plate.
Chocolate centers
Fill with a dab of Nutella or a chocolate kiss pressed in while they’re warm.
Lemon curd
Fill with lemon curd and dust with confectioners’ sugar.
Nut-free
Roll the balls in sanding sugar or finely shredded coconut instead of nuts.