Salted Maple Thumbprint Cookies
I buy one or two cookbooks a year. Of course, I spend hours coveting them and poring over the cookbook tables at Elliot Bay. But, in the end, I'm very careful about what I bring home to our 750 square foot house, getting most recipes online or tweaking what I already have. I love what Christopher Kimball says--that most of us absolutely do not need more recipes. We just need to keep practicing what we know and slowly get better and more experimental. Sorry, folks. There's no shortcut.
BUT (you knew this was coming, right?), I just bought a new cookbook that makes me want to storm into the kitchen. It's Melissa Clark's In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite. Almost everything in it can be made in under an hour, and is so bursting with flavor that you'll be wiping the drool off the pages. And wondering, "Why didn't I think of that?"
The annual Christmas baking day with my mom and sister is coming up, so the first thing I tried was these cookies. OMG. They don't look like showstoppers, but watch out. I gave them away to several people, and some reluctantly took one off the plate, like, "Well, I guess. There's no chocolate involved, but I'm bored and slightly hungry." Then their eyes would widen and I could have the self-satisfied moment I was waiting for.
Am I posting about Christmas cookies already? I guess I am. Em sent me this Christmas pledge, which I posted on my bulletin board:
- To remember those who truly need my gifts.
- To express my love for family and friends in more direct ways than presents.
- To rededicate myself to the spiritual growth of my family.
- To examine my holiday activities in light of the true spirit of Christmas.
- To initiate one act of peacemaking within my circle of family and friends.
Here we go. Bring it on, Season of Light.
Salted Maple Thumbprint Cookies
Melissa doesn't instruct you to chill the dough, but I recommend it. It's quite soft and you might have trouble with the cookies spreading if you don't.
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 c. sugar
1 c. pure maple syrup
2 large egg yolks
12 oz. walnut halves
Fleur de sel or other coarse salt, for sprinkling
Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and kosher salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add 1/2 c. of the maple syrup and the egg yolks, and beat until fully incorporated. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Chill dough for 30-60 minutes.
Using a Tb., drop dough, 3 inches apart, onto two baking sheets. Using your thumb, make an indentation in the center of each round of dough--as deep as you can go without pushing through. Bake until the edges are just golden, 12-15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool.
While the cookies are cooking, prepare the maple glaze. Place the remaining 1/2 c. maple syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer the syrup until reduced to abut 1/3 c., 7-10 minutes. Carefully spoon the glaze into the thumbprint of each cooled cookie, then place a walnut and a sprinkle of salt on top. Allow the glaze the set, at least 10 minutes, before serving.
December 1, 2010
Reader Comments (24)
no Sarah--these are showstoppers, because I just drooled. And what a wonderful pledge!
seriously? i am seriously? lol i just love maple and salt, and now you've put them in a cookie. Yes please!
I'm careful about buying cookbooks too--I usually check them out of the library--but I have a few I'm hoping santa will bring...
Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Jess?
Yum. These are now on the must-make list for the holiday season. I'm wanting a new cookbook that is pretty basic, uses lots of whole grains, beans, and vegetables, and keeps it simple. Any recommendations? I frequently use "Feeding the Whole Family," by a Bastyr woman whose name I'm blanking on...Cynthia?..anyway, I need things my kids will eat, too. Oh, and a new magazine subscription is on my wish list (which is a necessity according to my side of the family), and I can't decide--Sunset, Cooks Illustrated, Cooking Light--any advice? Good to see Yancey and Loretta at the community center yesterday. Norah thanks Loretta for the clothes. =)
The thumbprints made me drool, the pledge made me tear. My keyboard's a mess. Thanks. Again.
(BTW, Tiffany, Cynthia Lair is the Bastyr Woman/author in question. She's a gem.)
oh sarah. these definitely look like they need to be a xmas special. loves to you.
What a strong compliment to that cookbook! Off to check it out now!
a serious christmas pledge. one we could all have on our bulletin boards. and those cookies...i wouldn't mind a plate on my counter right about now. :)
I tried these tonight. So, so good.
These look absolutely amazing, and a nice change from the Christmas cookies I usually make. I need to check that cookbook out...it sounds amazing!
Oh I am so making these! My mouth is watering. As for the Christmas pledge -- I am adding it to my bulletin board for those times when I start spiraling into a grinchy mood. Your blog always adds a little ray of light to my day :-)
Wow, those look amazing! I can already picture them wrapped up in paper boxes for my neighbors - yum! I too read cookbooks like novels :D
It just gets weirder. I was just (as in 5 minutes ago) paging through that book for cookie ideas and decided to make this recipe! Glad to know it is a winner.
Made these...so amazing! ...even without the walnuts. Can't eat just one - that's for sure! Had to chill the dough before baking, though since it was too sticky to work with.
Sarah, I have been checking in to your website ever since the family reunion this fall. I can't tell you how truly spiritually inspired I get after I log on. You have given me rise to think about some of the true things to be in tuned to. Thank-you
Sarah, you are such a bright light in a dark place-----I agree with Aunt Jonni, and am so grateful we ended up sharing some history! What a gift! What perfectly practical and loving thoughts to accompany us into the Advent Season! I'll be checking my fridge door often through a busy time of year.........with more patience and with my batteries charged. Thank you so much, and many blessings to you!
I'm trying these again this week for a holiday dinner. I know they'll be delicious, but I'm vainly hoping they'll turn out at beautiful as yours - that photo! Sigh. I'm positive without even looking that this one had to make it on foodgawker!
Hi sister. Just chill the dough. They will be beautiful.
The women in my family gather together the second Saturday in December for holiday baking. This year I introduced the recipe for these cookies and they were a HIT. Everyone loved them. Thanks for such a great cookie addition to our holiday tradition.
Success! 60 minutes in the frig was perfect. I also subbed one cup of whole wheat flour for some white and used toasted pecans. Quality control (Ricky) was impressed with the improvement from the first batch "we" made :) He came over looking for more yesterday, but I'd given them all away.
O.k. one more comment - made these last night for a church function. I finally figured out what these taste like - pancakes! I didn't put the maple syrup and the nuts on this time because 1) Plain Jane (read me) likes them better this way 2) I didn't have time to chill the dough properly to make them with the little dip to accept the maple syrup and nut. They were warm and gooey and yummy! And I realized - these taste like pancakes. I used the whole wheat flour again too. I really like them that way. So did my fellow potluckers. I think you might have some new fans and readers. xo
You're right. I never met a pancake I didn't like. Thanks for spreading the word, sister :)
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