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Jam Thumbprint Cookies

December 23, 2009 By Kate 6 Comments

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I saved the best for last. These cookies are my most requested. Every year for the past 5 years or so, my grandma has requested a big batch of apricot jam thumbprint cookies from me. She’s probably the only person whose gift I have decided on a year in advance!

They’re a hit at our house too. The kids just love the jam-filled centers. The cookies are rich, flaky and not too sweet. The jam adds just the right amount of sweetness.

While I usually only make these cookies at Christmastime (because seriously, my waistline doesn’t need to have these around more than once a year), they definitely would work for any other occasion too.

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Jam Thumbprint Cookies

  • 1 c. butter, softened
  • 1/2 c. sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 t. vanilla
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 2 c. flour
  • Strawberry, raspberry and/or apricot jam or preserves
  • 1/2 c. powdered sugar, optional

1. Beat butter and sugar together until creamy. Lightly whisk the egg yolks and add to the mixing bowl. Add vanilla and salt and mix until combined. Slowly add the flour and mix well.

2. For each cookie, roll slightly more than a teaspoon of dough into a ball. Place on a baking sheet, make an indentation in the center with you thumb and add a dollop of jam or preserves. Repeat until done.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

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4. Once cooled, lightly dust cookies with powdered sugar, if desired.

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Holiday Memories & Walmart Giveaway

December 22, 2009 By Kate 109 Comments

I think most people will agree that the holiday season, from Thanksgiving to New Year’s, is a favorite time of year. I know it’s always been one of my favorites.

For me, it’s a time full of tradition and memories – both from my own childhood and from the traditions and memories we are building with our own kids. There are so many opportunities during this season to foster those traditions.

Our favorite traditions tend to revolve around the kitchen, from baking cookies to homemade pierogi and from-scratch gifts. I love having the kids work with me in the kitchen just as much as I loved to work in the kitchen with my mom. And there is just something so magical about working together in a toasty warm kitchen with Christmas music playing and the lights on the Christmas tree glowing. I wish I could bottle those moments!

This year, Walmart is making it easy to spend as little or as much time in the kitchen as you want while still staying under budget. With Walmart’s Holiday Meals, you can prepare a Christmas Dinner for Eight for as low as $20 or a New Year’s Eve meal for 10 for under $40.

Those Holiday Meals are perfect for entertaining at a reasonable price. Check out Walmart’s Holiday Meals website for a great menu put together by Food Network’s Aaron Sanchez.

To help make your holiday entertaining a little easier, I have two $30 Walmart gift cards to give away.

To enter this giveaway, just leave a comment sharing one of your favorite holiday traditions, memories or foods to eat. This giveaway will end on December 26 at 8:00 p.m. CST and random.org will select the winners for me.

NOTE – THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Walmart. In addition, I received a Walmart gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate and two to offer as a giveaway.

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Coffee & Cream Dream Cookies from Domino Sugar

December 21, 2009 By Kate 3 Comments

As I’ve been doing my Christmas baking over the past few weeks, I’ve really wanted to add a few new-to-me recipes to my tried and true collection. I think I’ve found a winner!

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These are Coffee & Cream Dream Cookies from the Domino sugar website. I am SO in love with these cookies. They have a very mature taste (although the kids love them too) and just the right amount of coffee flavor in the background.

The texture of the cookies is crispy on the outside while soft and spongy on the inside. And they make such an awesome accompaniment to a cup of coffee!

I followed the recipe almost exactly. I did make one substitution by using 1/4 cup of fresh, strong coffee in place of the instant coffee granules and water. Instant coffee is just not something we keep on hand and I never buy an ingredient for just one recipe. I think the substitution was a success.

I also went on my own for the garnish. They recommend drizzling the cookies with melted chocolate, and while I agree that that’s probably delicious, I really wanted to focus on the coffee flavor. So I stirred together a quick coffee icing and topped that with some finely ground coffee.

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Coffee Icing

  • 1 c. powdered sugar
  • 1-2 T. fresh, strong coffee, cooled

1. Stir coffee into powdered sugar, adding only as much as needed until desired drizzling consistency is reached.

I think a plate of these cookies and a pound of coffee beans would make an awesome gift for any coffee lover in your life!

There are tons of other great recipes and gift ideas at the Domino sugar website too.

Disclosure: I received a $20 gift card from Domino sugar for participating in this review. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and they were in no way affected by Domino sugar.

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