I didn't know how to call this post, because this cookie has so many names.
I had never noticed before that with so many of the traditional holiday cookies that exist in different countries and versions there's much more than one way to call them.
Yesterday for example, there were wasp nests or widow kisses.
And today's cookies are not only thumbprints, but also jam thimbles, angel eyes (Engelsaugen), hussar kisses (Husarenküsse), and I'm sure that there are more.
It would be fun to do a little research and find out who has given which name to a particular cookie, where, when and why...wouldn't it?
However, this is a delicious, pretty and versatile cookie; you could play with the recipe using combinations of different flours and nuts (or seeds!). And wouldn't it look really nice to fill them with differently-coloured jams?
Besides, his is a quick recipe for a cookie with a shortcrust pastry because it doesn't need to rest in the fridge.
Recipe (adapted from this very lovely one. makes 20-24 cookies)
110 grams butter at room temperature
65 grams golden cane sugar
1 egg, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
155 grams flour
a pinch of salt
100 grams almonds, chopped
100 grams jam (I used blueberry)
Preheat your oven to 170 ºC. Mix the butter and sugar in your kitchen processor until fluffy. Add the egg yolk and the vanilla and mix some more. Then add the flour and salt until you have a smooth dough. If it's too dry, add some drops of water.
Prepare a shallow bowl with the almonds and another small and deep one with the egg white. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Shape the dough into little balls that are equal in size. I divide the dough in 4 equal parts and get 5 or 6 balls out of each piece.
Wet each one with the egg white before rolling it in the bowl of almonds. Place the cookies on the baking sheet pressing carefully in their centre with your thumb. This way they flatten a bit and you obtain a little hollow for your jam.
Spoon a bit of jam into each cookie.
Bake the cookies for about 15-20 minutes until golden in colour and firm to the touch.
Leave to cool on a rack before storing in an airtight container.
They keep well for a week or more.
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