Thumbprint cookies are an old-fashioned treat, a little cookie well holding a dot of jam. Here, they're reinterpreted with walnut oil and whole-wheat pastry flour for today's healthier eating standards - and, of course, with chocolate, simply for the taste.
| Prep Time: | 20 minutes |
| Ready in: | 1 1/2 hours |
| Yield: | about 36 cookies |
| Ease of Prep: | Easy |
| Recipe Ingredients | |
| 3/4 cup all-purpose flour | |
| 1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour | |
| 1/2 teaspoon baking soda | |
| 1/2 teaspoon salt | |
| 1 cup toasted walnut pieces (see Tip) | |
| 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter , cut into pieces | |
| 1/4 cup walnut oil or canola oil | |
| 1/2 cup granulated sugar | |
| 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar | |
| 1 large egg | |
| 2 teaspoons vanilla extract | |
| 5 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate , chopped, or chocolate chips, melted (see Cooking Tip) | |
| 6 tablespoons apricot jam (see Enhancements, below) | |
Recipe Directions
- Position rack in the center of the oven; preheat to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Whisk all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl until well combined. Grind walnuts in a food processor until they resemble coarse meal.
- Beat butter, oil, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until almost creamy—the mixture may still be a little grainy. Beat in egg and vanilla; scrape down the sides and beat in melted chocolate and the ground nuts. Stir in the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon until just incorporated.
- Roll 1 tablespoon dough into a ball, place on the prepared baking sheet and flatten slightly until it looks like a deflated basketball. Continue with the remaining dough, spacing the cookies 2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies for 6 minutes. Remove from the oven and gently press your thumb or the end of a wooden spoon in the center of each cookie. Place 1/2 teaspoon jam in each indentation. Bake until the jam is melted and the cookie is set but still a little soft, 8 to 10 minutes more. Cool on the pan for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Let the pan cool for a few minutes before baking another batch. Enhancements: Use any flavor jam you want, just don’t use preserves (the pieces of fruit may be too large) or jelly (it will melt too quickly and run).
Tip: To toast chopped walnuts: Heat a small dry skillet
over medium-low heat. Add nuts and cook, stirring, until lightly
browned and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
Cooking Tip: To melt chocolate:
1. Bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in a double boiler set over
medium-high heat, then place chocolate in the top pan.
(Alternatively, to improvise a double boiler, place chocolate in
a heat-safe mixing bowl that fits snugly over a pan with 1 inch
of simmering water.) Stir until half the chocolate has melted.
Remove the bowl and continue stirring until the chocolate has
fully melted. Cool for 5 minutes at room temperature.
2. Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on
High for 1 minute. Stir well, then continue microwaving in
30-second increments on High until two-thirds of the chocolate
has melted, stirring well after each heating. Remove the bowl and
continue stirring until all the chocolate has melted. Cool for 5
minutes at room temperature.
Health Advantages: low calorie, low carb, low sat fat, low cholesterol, low sodium, heart healthy.
| Nutrition Information | ||||||||
| Servings Per Recipe: 36 | ||||||||
| Amount Per cookie | ||||||||
| Calories: | 109 cal | Carbohydrate Servings: | 1 | |||||
| Carbohydrates: | 14 g | Dietary Fiber: | 1 g | Cholesterol: | 9 mg | |||
| Fat: | 6 g | Sodium: | 53 mg | Saturated Fat: | 2 g | |||
| Protein: | 1 g | Potassium: | 42 mg | Monounsaturated Fat: | 1 g | |||
| Exchanges: | 1 other carbohydrate, 1 fat | |||||||
