Eggless Thumbprint Cookies

Couple of day’s back I started searching the net for some recipes to post for Valentine’s day. After going through many recipes from various sites, I zeroed in on one: The Eggless Chocolate Pudding. It was my long time wish to try one. I finally made it the day before with the intention of posting today. The pudding looked really delicious all chocolatey, perfectly set. I loved the fact that it de moulded beautifully. I was all set having clicked some satisfying pictures. My daughter came from school and I offered the pudding to her. She loved the looks of it. She tasted a spoonful with relish. And after tasting it her expression changed and she refused to eat anymore. Then I tasted it and I too did not find it to my expectation. It was kind of bitter and not as light as I was expecting it to be, though it was very smooth. My daughter declared that this recipe should not be posted. I agreed. And my search for Valentine ’s Day recipe started all over again.

Finally, I found the recipe for these thumbprint cookies in a book, which I had noted long back. These are traditionally no Valentine’s Day treats, but I wanted to post something simple, sweet and delicious and these perfectly fit the bill. These cookies get their name from the indents made on the cookies with the thumb. The indents are traditionally filled with jam or fruit preserves. Of course the filling is our choice. So I filled few of them with my favourite Nutella and few with my daughter’s favourite jam and left few as it is without any filling for my MIL. If you have the time and paitience, pipe out the nutella or jam with the help of a piping bag with a nice nozzle and I’m sure they will look much prettier than mine.

The original recipe called for all purpose flour, I have replaced it with whole wheat flour.

Makes about 16 cookies

What you’ll need

1. Wheat Flour – 1 cup
2. Sugar – 1/3 cup
3. Unsalted Butter – ½ cup
4. Vanilla Essence – 1 tsp
5. Milk – 1 Tbsp (if required)
6. Nutella/ Jam or any other fruit preserve as required

Method

1. Pre heat oven to 180C . Line the baking tray with butter paper.
2. Powder the sugar.
3. In a wide bowl, add butter and sugar and beat till light and fluffy.
4. Add Vanilla essence and mix well.
5. Now add the flour and blend. It will form a crumbly mix. Do not knead like chapathi dough.
6. Just bring together everything into a ball. If the mixture is very dry add as tbsp of milk.
7. Bring together gently.
8. At this point refrigerate the dough for an hour if it is not manageable else form equal sized balls and flatter slightly. (As I was able to easily form the balls and shape them, I did not refrigerate)
9. Place on the lined baking tray and make and indentation with your thumb in the center or use the back of a small scoop.
10. Repeat the same with remaining dough and place them on the baking tray leaving enough space between the balls.
11. Bake for 15 minutes.
12. Remove from oven and slightly press the indents if they have risen.
13. Let the cookies cool and then spoon in your favourite filling. I filled some with nutella and some with jam and left a few empty.

Enjoy!